100 Beautiful and Ugly Words
by ironstatic
Summary: 55. Sussuration: whispering (People talk, but then, that's all they ever do.)
1. Crystalline

CRYSTALLINE  
clear, or sparkling

"Oh my god! You actually sparkle!" Jinx cackles, seeing her support for the first time.

She's new around the League. After her crime spree in Piltover, Zaun basically drafted her as a champion. There was some kind of political incentive for it, like a "get your shit together" ultimatum. Jinx was fuzzy on the details, not that she really cared. All she knew was that one day, a gang of robed nerds whisked her out of her apartment and stuck her in a room. Apparently, she lived there now and there was something about probation? Whatever, at least this time around, needles aren't involved and she got to kill people on a regular basis. The teamwork thing though, that was really cramping her style, especially the whole support bit. She hated, hated, hated depending on someone else. Talk about a real buzz kill.

"Yeah... Light is kind of my thing." The sparkly girl says, bouncing on her feet. "I'm Luxanna Crownguard, but you can call me Lux. I'll do my best to assist you."

Jinx nods slowly, eyeing her so-called support. She knew the League was basically a collection of freaks. But this girl was a piece of work. Her face was free of any zits or dirt. Her blonde hair looked brushed and properly conditioned. Her armor shined under the turret's glare, like she actually took the time to polish it. Basically, everything about this girl screamed neatness and order and a healthy hygiene. Jinx couldn't wait to mess with her.


	2. Evocative

EVOCATIVE  
_suggestive_

"Fishbones, you know what we oughta do?"  
"Do the laundry, wash dishes, and pay some bills."  
"Stupid dumb rocket launcher."

"Why do you do that?"

Jinx blinks, turning to Lux. They're on the Rift. The minions have yet to spawn. They're in the bushes outside the red buff, helping Master Yi. It's only Jinx's third match. Lux is supporting her, again. She suspects she was chosen specifically to guide Jinx. The Summoners know of her knack for collecting information and assumed she'd share her knowledge. They weren't wrong. Sona, certainly, couldn't tell Jinx anything. And Janna, kind as she is, knew little of battle strategy. Lux supposes she is the most educational support.

"Do what?" Jinx asks, raising her brow.

Still informed as she is, some things continue to baffle her. Lux tilts her head, eyeing Jinx. "The whole talking to your rocket launcher. What's that about?"

"Uh, rude! The rocket launcher has a name. This is Fishbones." Jinx points the firearm right at Lux's face. "Say hi!"

Lux stares down the gaping maw of the weapon, nonplussed. "You do realize it's an inanimate object, right?"

Jinx rolls her eyes, shouldering Fishbones. "Oh, sure. Your brother names his sword 'Justice' - !"

"He didn't name his sword."

"Even better! It came with a name! But when I name my guns, suddenly it's weeeeiiiiird. Double standards!"

Lux flushes, cheeks puffing up. "Well, my brother doesn't talk to his sword."

"You don't know that. Maybe he does it in private. When he's all alone, eh? Eh?" Jinx nudges Lux with an elbow, wagging her brow.

Lux grimaces. "Gross. I didn't need that mental image."

"Really? 'Cause that's not what I heard."

"Excuse me, what?"

"I heard you and Garen are like…" Jinx holds up and crosses two fingers.

Lux reels back, jaw hanging open in disgust. "EUGH! What is wrong with you?! He's my brother!"

Jinx cackles. "Hey, hey. Chill. This is a judgement free zone. Whatever you do behind closed doors - !"

"I regret this entire conversation."

"Then, ladies?"

Jinx and Lux turn to Master Yi, already fighting the Giant Brambleback.

"Wuju mind helping me out?"


	3. Epiphany

EPIPHANY  
_revelation_

At this point, they've laned together several times. And Jinx has noticed something odd about the sparky sparky boom girl. It isn't bad or really noteworthy. Lux still performed at peak efficiency, locking down kills and peeling when necessary. But Jinx watches her on the Rift and it's like she's not really there. She looks a million miles away from the Fields of Justice. It is different from the way Lulu looks. When Lulu is gone, she'll get starry-eyed and giggly. But Lux wears the same chipper smile with the same can do attitude. There's nothing markedly different about the way she acts. It's just her eyes. When everything else about her glows or beams or shines, her eyes appear flat, dim, opaque.

It's a look eerily familiar to Jinx. But where she saw it before, she can't remember. Until they're laning together for the nth time and she sees Lux stifle a yawn. Oh, that's it, isn't it? The reason Jinx noticed her. Lux looks exactly how she used to look. It's the same damn face with the same damn eyes, right down to the chipper, fake as hell smile. Jinx saw it in the mirror everyday for most of her life.

Lux isn't a million miles away. She's very much here. It's just she's a million steps ahead of everyone on the Rift. Within the first ten minutes, she can tell who will lose and who will win. The ending's been spoiled. Nothing surprises her. It's all so very dull.

She's bored, Jinx thinks with a frenzied laugh. Lux shoots her a worried glance. Jinx waves cheerfully back. Lux rolls her eyes and looks away. Jinx laughs again.

Lux is bored out of her mind. Well. Jinx can fix that.


	4. Dulcet

DULCET  
_sweet_

She speaks as if powdered sugar sprinkled every syllable. Ls drop off her tongue like drops of golden honey. Ss slink through her teeth, slow and thick as molasses. Berry balmed lips shape each O with careful precision. Her every sound is saccharine and smart, calculated exactly to butter you up. She keeps your gaze on that pretty little mouth so you never see how her eyes flash, how they narrow, how they sharpen to bladed slits. She will laugh the way bubblegum pops, loud and distracting. So you'll never know the way her brain extracts each detail, decoding the data to deduce where you live and what you do, before you can say hello.

But Jinx sees. Jinx knows. She watches Lux make split-second calculations between dodging fire, sometimes literally. Jinx gets it. Once a thief, always a thief.


	5. Beguile

BEGUILE  
_deceive_

"I don't know who you think you are."

Lux stiffens, turning on her heel. It's the dead of night. The halls of the Institute are dimly lit and empty. Or rather, Lux thought it was empty. She is decidedly wrong. A fatal mistake, one she knew better to make. She wraps careful fingers around her baton.

"Show yourself."

The tip tap of footsteps echo slow and steady against the stone walls. Jinx walks into the torch light, a sneer on her lips.

"You're not fooling me. And I don't think you're fooling yourself either."

"The Institute explicitly prevents any combat outside the Fields of Justice."

Jinx rolls her eyes and leans against the wall. "See, this isn't it?"

Lux blinks. "What?"

"You think you're some kinda paragon of virtue, quoting rules and saving kittens. And let me just say, you're not."

"What are you talking about?"

"So polished and perfect, not a hair of place. God! I'm suffocating just looking at you."

"Jinx, is there a point to all this?"

"Aaaw, come on. Lighten up! Ha! Get it? 'Cause you're a flashlight?"

"State your business or I am leaving."

"Don't you ever get tired of following rules? You're so stiff! I just wanna see you loosen up. You know, get a little crazy."

Lux snorts, crossing her arms. "So I can be more like you?"

Jinx laughs, softly at first. Then she doubles over, cackling her lungs out. Lux takes a wary step back, her magic shimmering right under her skin. Jinx breathes in deep, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye, before straightening up. She stares Lux dead in the eye.

"Oh, Flashlight. You're already like me. I don't know who you think you're fooling."


	6. Inexorable

INEXORABLE  
_relentless_

"Hey, Flashlight!" Jinx greets, popping out from under the dining table.

Lux screeches and upsets her tray, splattering her lunch all over herself.

"Hey, Flashlight!" Jinx greets, appearing outside her bedroom window.

Lux jumps and upends her ink pot, blotting her paperwork in black.

"Hey, Flashlight!" Jinx greets, swinging down from the ventilation shaft.

Lux squawks and upturns a stack of books, causing it to fall unto poor Poppy.

"HEY! FLASHLIGHT!" Jinx greets over the all chat.

It's the last thing Lux hears before a Super Mega Death Rocket explodes in her face.

Lux has always known Jinx was strange. But ever since their odd midnight encounter, Jinx hasn't left her alone. She'd pop out of nowhere with no warning for no apparent reason. It was driving Lux crazy.

"He - !"

Before Jinx could finish, Lux grabs the straps of her weird bra-top. She hauls her up close until their noses are a mere inch apart.

"Let's get one thing straight, you twiggy, little ingrate," Lux spits out. "My name is Lux."

Jinx blinks, her brow furrowing. She thinks it over for all of one second before shrugging. "Nah. I like Flashlight better."

"You don't get a say on what my name is!"

"No. But! I do get a say on what I call you. And I like Flashlight better."

Lux makes an incoherent noise of pure rage.

Jinx boops her nose. "Ah! Ah! Ah! No combat outside the Fields of Justice! Remember?"

Then, with a cackling laugh, Jinx frees herself from Lux's hold and dashes away, excited. Lux is left radiating fury. No, literally. She's glowing with hot, white light, illuminating the hall around her.

"Um, Lady Luxanna?" An apprehensive Taric asks, cautiously approaching. "Are you alright?"

Lux doesn't answer only announces, "I'm going to murder that girl," before stomping off.


	7. Exuberant

EXUBERANT

_abundant, unrestrained, outsize_

There's footsteps. The door clicks shut. Paper shuffling. Then a chair is pulled out, screeching across the linoleum floor. Overhead, a flourescent bulb buzzes white. Sterile, strident, unyielding. It's all photons, electromagnetic radiation traveling in waves, weightless essentially. Lux feels it press down on her, a physical force - heavy and heated - on her shoulders. She knows it's nothing more than the pyschosomatic manifestation of her anxiety. Which is silly. She has nothing to be anxious over.

The Summoner sets the clipboard down, and hums.

"Lady Crownguard, I understand you've come with a complaint."

Lux bobs her head. "Yes, ma'am."

The Summoner hums again, leaning back. She touches a finger to her lips, inspecting Lux curiously. "It has something to do with the… " She lifts a sheet from the clipboard. "… new marksman currently on the Institute premises. Is this correct?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Lux wonders if it would kill the Summoner to personalize her office. She's been to army headquarters with more decoration. It's not as if the Institute of War is a militaristic organization. True, it was founded by military branches of various cities, but it was separate entity. It followed its own rules and regulations. Lux couldn't think of a reason for the bare, white walls or the naked, white floor or even the exposed light bulb - lacking any sort of cover. It unnerves her, quite frankly. Perhaps that was the point.

"Jinx, the Loose Cannon, according to your statement, has been repeatedly harassing and stalking you."

Lux breathes in deep. "Ma'am, I respectfully request your interference. Jinx has been, to put it bluntly, driving me crazy. She insists on following me around. She interrupts my work. She intrudes on my conversations. She invades my room. She. Is. Driving. Me. Crazy."

The Summoner purses her lips, remaining distinctly unimpressed with Lux's tirade. She tilts her head. "Has she threatened you in any way?"

Lux opens her mouth, then closes it. She pauses, wrinkling her brow. Then, haltingly, she shakes her head. "… No. Not really."

"Has she committed any acts of violence on your person?"

"No…" Lux mutters.

"Has she touched you inappropriately anywhere?"

Lux sighs. "No. But - !"

"If all she is doing is pestering you, Lady Crownguard, then I cannot help. You must deal with her on your own." The Summoner cuts in with a note of finality.

"You don't understand! She's a menace!"

"As far as I am concerned, Jinx has not broken any rules. You must understand that the Institute is only tasked with supervising her. And as long as she remains within these walls, what she does is her business."

"So, what? You're just going to let her run wild?"

"Providing she isn't a danger to others, yes."

"But - !"

"Lady Crownguard." The Summoner says sharply. "She is not endangering you. She is annoying you. Deal with it."

Lux's jaw snaps shut so fast her teeth click.

The Summoner huffs and rises to her feet. She shoots Lux a parting glare. "Now, if you would kindly excuse me, I have important matters to attend."

There's footsteps again. A door opens. Then closes. Overhead, the flourescent bulb buzzes impassively on.

Lux remains seated for a couple more minutes. Her hands are clenched into fists. She's partly embarassed, mostly infuriated, but also at a loss. She had thought reporting Jinx's behavior would solve some things. Not all things, she never thought that, but at least some. She wasn't expecting the Summoners to be completely useless. Then again, she isn't used to being wrong.

Hissing out a breath, Lux stands and walks to the door. She pauses at the threshold, casting one last glance at the office. With a quick wave of her hand, the light bulb makes a high-pitched whine before popping to pieces. The room is plunged black. No more white.

Lux smiles to herself. She backs out of the room, pulling the door shut as she faces forward - only to find Jinx standing just a step away. She stifles a shout.

"I saw what you did there." Jinx singsongs, beaming at her. "Vandalizing Institute property! Tsk, tsk, Lady Crownguard. How naughty of you."

"Fuck off, Jinx." Lux spits out through gritted teeth.

"Nah. Don't wanna."

Then, with a cheery little hop, Jinx closes the distance between them. Lux absolutely does not flinch.

Jinx smirks. "Aaaaaaw, did widdle Flashlight go squealing to Mommy?"

"Yes, and?" Lux squares her shoulders, standing straighter. They are about the same height save for the inch Lux had over Jinx. She intends to use that inch to its fullest capacity.

"Nice try." Jinx's smile only grows wider. "But face it, Flashlight. You are never, ever getting rid of me."

Lux peers own at Jinx, pursing her lips. Well, that sounded like a challenge. Alrighty then. She offers a smirk of her own, equally as devious and taunting.

"We'll see." She tells Jinx. "We'll see."


	8. Redolent

REDOLENT  
_aromatic, evocative_

"Lux, love, is there something wrong?"

"Huh?" Lux looks up, blinking at Caitlyn. "Yeah! No! I mean, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

The life of a champion is neither glorious or luxurious or even the least bit glamorous. It involves a lot of sweat, and shouting, and miscommunication. The hours are long and irregular. The perks and benefits are nearly nonexistent. Only the desperate or the crazy willingly volunteer to be champions. The rest, those chosen to represent their cities, really didn't have much of a choice. Oh sure, a lot of them talk big about patriotic duty and honor. But really, it gets a bit too much and they would all quit if given the option.

To cope, Lux and Caitlyn arranged to have one day - one afternoon - one hour when they can relax. They have tea and crumpets and generally act like civilized beings. They love their respective comrades dearly, but sometimes they just need to be away from all the swaggering, the punching, the dick waving contests. They need soft things, nice, delicate, lacy things. It helps them unwind, Or, it's supposed to.

Caitlyn watches Lux lift the table cloth and peer under the table. She clears her throat. "You seem a little... tense."

"What? Me?" Lux laughs, glancing side to side. "Nooo. Not at all." She then looks up, squinting at the ceiling. "But, uh... by any chance," she continues, whipping around and scanning the area behind her. "Have you seen Jinx?"

"Jinx?" Caitlyn echoes, furrowing her brow. "Isn't she scrimming with the Noxians today?"

Lux turns to Caitlyn, a look of genuine surprise on her face. "Oh. That's right. Wait. I knew that." Squeezing her eyes shut, Lux groans and bows her head.

"Is Jinx bothering you?" Caitlyn asks.

Lux waves a dismissive hand. "It's nothing! Really! I've got it handled."

"Are you sure?" Caitlyn presses. "Lux, please. I've been hearing some, quite frankly, concerning stories regarding you and Jinx."

Lux looks up, narrowing her eyes at Caitlyn. "You've been investigating me, haven't you?"

"I'm sorry, love," Caitlyn tells her, not looking the least bit sorry. "It's a frightful habit of mine."

"No, no. I understand," Lux sighs, smiling. "You're just watching out for me. Thank you. But, really. I can fight my owm battles."

"But you don't have to fight them alone. You have friends, plenty of friends. We would be happy to help you. I would be happy to help you."

"What are you going to do? Charge into her room, guns blazing?"

"Don't be silly, dear," Caitlyn smiles demurely. "That's Vi's area of expertise."

Lux huffs out a laugh. "Look, I appreciate the sentiment, I do. But I can handle Jinx. She's just being annoying. Nothing to worry about."

"Yet," Caitlyn mutters darkly. "But, if you insist."

"I do," Lux says shortly. "Now, enough about Jinx. What's this brew you brought here?"

"It's a gift, from Lady Karma."

"Mmmm, it smells divine," Lux breathes. "I think we both need a - how do you call it? A cuppa?"

"Yes."

Lux bites her lip, studying Caitlyn carefully. Caitlyn refuses to meet her gaze, despondently pouring out the tea. There's a moment of silence.

Then, Lux sighs. "C'mon, Cait. When have you ever known me to be foolish?"

Caitlyn smiles slightly. "True."

Lux lights up. "There's really nothing to worry about. You'll see. Everything will be all right."

"I hope so. For your sake, I hope so."


	9. Lithe

LITHE  
_flexible, graceful_

Jinx whistles a jaunty little tune as she scales up the Institute's walls. She's on her way to Lux's room, via window, of course. Doors are for boring squares and Hat Ladies. Also, it scares the living shit out of Lux when Jinx just pops in like that. It's the best.

Reaching her destination, Jinx peers in and sees Lux relaxing on her bed. She looks like she's unwinding from a trying day, with her little novel and cute, fuzzy bathrobe. It would be a shame if… someone… barged in…

Snickering darkly, Jinx casually picks the window lock - good ol' Institute security right there - and pushes the window open. She moves to stick her head in when something zaps her nose. The shock nearly startles Jinx right off her precarious perch. Oh, and it hurts too.

"OW!" She complains loudly.

"Laser-induced plasma," Lux says before turning to face Jinx, a saucy smirk on her lips.

She had known - this whole time! - that Jinx was there! And! She was prepared! Well, what else could Jinx really expect from the Lady of Luminosity. She rubs her poor, abused nose and smirks. This is gonna be more fun than she first thought.

"Big deal! I can get through some lasers," she tells Lux. "You know I can kiss my own ass? I moonlight as a contortionist."

"Oh, really?" Lux replies, appearing very unimpressed. She snaps her fingers. A whole grid of plasma lasers light up, leaving not an inch of space unaccounted for. Lux stands at the center of it all, perfectly unharmed. The lasers can't touch her, apparently. Must be a light mage thing.

"You'll have to be pretty boneless to get through this," Lux tells her.

Jinx huffs, grudgingly impressed. "Touche, Flashlight. You won this round."

Lux smirks, savoring her victory.

"But," Jinx continues, because she's not done talking just yet. "You can't stay in your little grid forever. You'll have to leave your room sometime. And when you do…"

She trails off, watching Lux narrow her eyes, the smug expression falling from her face. Jinx can almost see the calculations and re-calculations, the plots and the plans, running through her head. She cackles loudly, before pushing off, disappearing into the night.


	10. Etiquette

ETIQUETTE  
_proper conduct_

Lux plays support sometimes, and Jinx is a marksman. So, they end up laning together every now and again. This is much to Lux's great and obvious displeasure. But their present match is only a scrimmage and nothing too important. She doesn't have to try that hard, just throw out a few singularities and miss a couple of snares, then call it a day.

Jinx huffs, planting her rocket launcher in the ground and leaning against it. "Wow. Can you at least pretend you wanna lane with me?"

Lux snorts. "No."

"And I thought Demacians did that whole polite thing. Glad to be proven wrong, Flashlight."

"Stop calling me that."

"Listen, can you at least not throw this game for me. I mean, it's really no fun if I'm just dying all the time."

"I will make no such promises."

Jinx throws her hands up and glares at the sky. "Summoner, are you hearing this? Report Lux for Assisting the Enemy!"

"I have done no such thing!"

"Yet!"

Lux grits her teeth, both hands fisted around her baton. What she would give to cast an attack on Jinx.

"How am I supposed to enjoy laning with someone so… pyschologically unstable!"

"Hey!" Jinx cries, spinning to face her. "I am not!"

"You're the one who keeps saying you're crazy."

"Yeah, but I mean like in the absurd, illogical, unreasonable way. I'm not like mentally ill."

"Oh, really?"

"Ya really. All sane in the membrane."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Okay, sure. I suffer from depression every now and again."

"Depression? You?"

"What? A girl like me can't be depressed?"

"I can't imagine - !"

"I could be depressed right now. You could be driving me to suicide. Look, watch me turret dive."

"You wouldn't."

Jinx stares Lux straight in the eye then walks right up to the turret.

"What a shitty support I have! Causing my death instead of preventing it!"

Throwing Lux a shit eating grin, Jinx steps right into the line of fire. There's an odd whine as the turret lights up.

"Stop! Oh my god! Stop! You psycho!"

Jinx hops out of range just before the turret could fully activate.

"Report Lux for Verbal Abuse!"

"You are the worst. Seriously."


	11. Luminescence

LUMINESCENCE

_dim chemical or organic light _

"Gods, who does she think she is?"

"I know!"

"Like she's all that!"

"Right?"

"She's not even properly trained in the arcane arts!"

"She sheds, like, all over the place."

"She used to be a debutante! An informat for her father!"

"I heard she sees a vet nowadays."

"How dare she call me a low-level mage!"

"She kept stealing my kills!"

"Where's her degree from the College of Magic?"

"And she insulted Fishbones!"

Lux looks over at Jinx. "What?"

Jinx puffs up her cheeks. "She kept calling Fishbones a piranha, when he is obviously a shark!" She points the rocket launcher at Lux, snapping the decorative jaws. "See? Chomp! Chomp!"

"No, I mean, what are you doing in my room?"

"Complaining about Cassiopeia, duh! What do you think we've been doing for the last five minutes?"

"But how did you get in?! I had security measures!"

"You mean the lazers?"

"Yes," Lux spits out through gritted teeth. "I mean the lazer-induced plasma, capable of cutting through flesh and bone, horribly maiming anyone who isn't me. Those lazers."

"Yeah, I disabled those awhile ago."

"When?! How?!"

"During your last official match, and I told you, I'm very flexible," Jinx wags her brows.

"Ugh!" Lux grimaces. "Forget I asked! Just get out!"

She moves to shove Jinx out of her room, but Jinx grabs hold of the doorframe at the last second and refuses to budge.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait!"

"No! Leave!"

"About Cass!"

"What about her?"

"I got a couple cans of magic-reactive paint."

"So?!"

"Hello, Flashlight? You're a light mage? C'mon! I thought you were supposed to be smart."

Lux stops shoving at Jinx, thinking it over for a minute. She would be lying through her teeth if she said the idea didn't appeal to her.

"She called you a low-level mage," Jinx whispers, grinning slyly. "A trickshot. A two-bit magician. You gonna let her get away with that?"

Lux chews it over before snarling loudly. She gives Jinx a good hard shove. Jinx yelps and collapses in a heap in the hallway.

"Meet me outside her window an hour after lights out," Lux informs her curtly before shutting the door with a firm click.

Jinx raises a shaky thumbs up. "Good talk."

The appointed time sees Lux garbed in her Spellthief outfit, clinging to the Institute walls. Jinx is nowhere to be found. She bites the inside of cheek, wondering if this is all an elaborate set up to frame her. A Demacian agent found sneaking into a Noxian's quarters. It could be the scandal of the century, or seen as attempted assassination. Lux didn't know which was worse. Oh, Liberty. What was she thinking? Agreeing to a reckless plot like this? It's not like her to be impulsive! And now, Jinx ditched her to -

"Wow! If I knew you were gonna dress up for this, I woulda worn my clean shorts!" Jinx chirps, swinging down from the upper floor.

Lux stifles a shriek, breathing in sharply and spitting out, "Where. The hell. Were you?"

"On the roof," Jinx replies brightly. "I was up there waiting for go time."

"What were you doing up there?"

"Uh, watching the moon rise? I don't really get to see it often, you know, back in Zaun. What with all the pollution. It's a great view. You should go up there sometime."

"Huh," Lux blinks, taken aback by the harmless answer. "That actually sounds - Wait, no. Focus. We're not here to idly chat. We've got a job to do."

"No reason we can't do both."

"Jinx," Lux says, a note of warning in her tone. "You have the paint?"

"Yup!" Jinx tilts her hip, gesturing at the cans clipped to her belt.

"Aren't those heavy? How is it not pulling your shorts down?"

"Magic," Jinx answers with a secretive smirk.

Lux rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just get this started."

Jinx playfully salutes her before creeping over to Cassiopeia's window. She carefully pries it open, sliding in without a sound, before waving at Lux to follow.

Jinx is good, Lux notes, but she's better. She smirks to herself as she sneaks into the room, deliberately not touching anything. Not a trace, not a fingerprint, not a problem.

"So, how do you wanna do this?" Jinx mouths at her, prudently not using her voice.

Lux shrugs. She's never done anything like this before.

"Do you know how to tag?"

"Tag?" Lux mouths back.

"You know, graffiti? Bombing?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh my god!" Jinx throws up her hands. "How are you this boring?!"

"Whatever!" Lux glares. "Just do something! I'll follow your lead."

Jinx scowls, "Fine."

They turn to the peacefully sleeping Cassiopeia, totally ignorant of the two trespassers invading her room. It feels very familiar to Lux, like the old days during her service, when she would swallow back her sense of honor and fairness. She has no need to now. Whatever righteous feelings she once had were drained out of her. It's hard to hold on to things like that when you're a thief.

Jinx unclips the cans, opening both. She pulls out paintbrushes from - Lux didn't want to know where. She hands one to her and it looks clean. Lux takes it gingerly. Jinx starts to swirl her brush in the paint and reaches for the snake half of Cassiopeia. Lux seizes her wrist.

"We can't," she says breathlessly.

"Ssh!" Jinx hushes, then mouths. "Chickening out, Flashlight?"

"No," Lux replies, just as soundlessly. "Just not the snake parts. Cassiopeia is very… sensitive to people touching her snake parts."

"Exactly!"

"No! I want to inconvenience her, not… not hurt her. Face, torso, or nothing," Lux glares defiantly at Jinx.

Sighing, Jinx pouts but moves her hand to hover over Cassiopeia's eyes. "God, you're such a goody two shoes."

Lux snorts. Well, maybe she still had a sense of fairness after all, certainly more than her cohort at least.

"What do you say, Flashlight?" Jinx nudges her in the ribs. "Think pretty, little Cass here will look good with a unibrow?"

"Don't forget the mustache," Lux replies, holding up her own brush.

They share a look, before devolving into silent snickers. Then Lux abruptly freezes, going very still.

"This," she starts, not quite looking Jinx in the eye. "This isn't bonding. You coercing me to do a minor crime is not bonding."

"Coercing nothing," Jinx smirks. "You came of your own free will."

"You've got no proof," Lux fires back.

Jinx beams at her, looking far too thrilled by her answer. And Lux is mildly horrified to find herself smiling back. Jinx's unfiltered joy is simply infectious. If it was a disease, it could wipe out the continent in a month.

"Admit it, Flashlight," Jinx mouths. "You're enjoying yourself."

"Am not," Lux stubbornly replies, despite the grin firmly on her lips.

"Whatever you say," Jinx huffs out a laugh. Then with a grand sweep of her brush, Jinx nods at Cassiopeia. "Now, what do you think of giving this lady a pair of swirly spectacles?"

"Spectacles? Please. Let's give her the full clown face treatment."

"I like the way you think."

The next morning opens with a loud, ear-splitting screech. A furious Cassiopeia charges into the dining hall, screaming for the bloody murder of whoever tampered with her perfect face. She is a breath away from casting her Petrifying Gaze and turning everyone into stone, when a frantic Katarina and Talon quickly haul her away.

In a corner, seated at a table, Jinx and Lux nonchalantly eat their breakfast. They don't look at each other. They don't share secretive laughs. They appear, to any curious bystander, like they accidentally sat next to each other - because all the other tables were full.

"I still don't like you," Lux says to no one in particular, cutting a bite of bacon.

"Keep telling yourself that," Jinx replies through a mouthful of food.

Ugh, gross, Lux thinks, grimacing. Because she absolutely was not, in any way, smiling.


	12. Idyllic

IDYLLIC  
contentedly pleasing

With her penchant for gathering information, coupled with her love of knowledge, Lux naturally spends most of her free time in the library. It's her quiet place in the Institute, somewhere she can find refuge when the political quibbling and the inter-city drama became far too absurd. She liked to settle in one of the old armchairs with its flattened cushions and faded out embroidery. If the sun was out, she took a seat by the window, curling up in the warmth like an overgrown cat.

It's not sunny today. It's downright gloomy. A thick sheet of clouds cover the sky, selfishly hoarding all the light. At least, there's no rain, just mist and damp and cold. Lux sits tucked into an armchair by the crackling fireplace. She's wearing her favorite sweater, a gift from the Frejlordian amabassador, with her favorite anthology of poems settled on her lap. She's quite content, in spite of the less than stellar weather.

Of course, this is when Jinx comes in. She pops up behind Lux like some kind of demented jack-in-the-box. Lux didn't notice she was there until Jinx leans in close and whispers in her ear.

"Whatcha reading?"

Lux strangles out a yelp, nearly casting her Final Spark. But the library is well protected, as only a library located in an Institute filled with the overpowered and the extraordinary can be. It has protections preventing mages from using magic, effectively silencing Lux before she damaged any book. There aren't, however, any literal silencing spells and her yelp echoes between the dusty shelves.

The sound summons Nasus, the self-appointed librarian, to their side. Moving far too fast for someone his size, he materializes from the shadows, a clawed forefinger held to his lips.

"This is a quiet space. Kindly keep your peace. Or I shall evict you from the premises. Am I understood?" Nasus growls as befitting his canine appearance.

"Yes, Sir Dog, sir!" Jinx cheerfully replies with a jaunty salute. She elbows Lux in the ribs. "Hear that, Flashlight? You gotta keep quiet."

The glare Lux sends Jinx could fill volumes with unbridled vitrol.

"Very good, young miss." Nasus intones, nodding sharply before disappearing as quickly and quietly as he came.

Lux rubs her temples. "What are you doing here, Jinx?"

"Looking for you, duh. I mean, why else would I go to a library? It's really not my scene." Jinx chirps. She proceeds to climb over the armchair, flopping heavily into Lux's lap.

Lux bites her tongue, holding in a high-pitched screech. In an admirable demonstration of self-control, she breathes in deeply, counting down from thirty, as Jinx settles herself on Lux's person.

"What." She bites out through gritted teeth. "Are. You. Doing?"

"Uh, sitting?" Jinx answers glibly, her bony butt digging into Lux's thigh. "What else does it look like?"

"Well, can't you sit somewhere else? There's plenty of other armchairs."

"Yeah, but they look so… Lux-less."

"Get your pointy bum off me!" Lux pushes at Jinx's shoulders.

But Jinx stubbornly clings on, throwing her arms around Lux. "Nah! I'm cozy here! You're all soft and squishy, perfect seating material." She presses her face into Lux's sweater. "Oooh! Is this cashmere?"

Lux groans, throwing her head back and smacking a hand against her forehead. "You're impossible."

Jinx cackles breathlessly, resting her cheek on Lux's chest. She picks up the anthology of poems, carelessly forgotten in the chaos of her arrival. Thumbing through a couple of pages, she hums in thought. "Poetry, huh?"

Lux peers down at her. "Yeah, what about?"

Jinx only smiles with faux innocence before handing the book back to Lux. "Read to me."

"Excuse you. I'm not your nursemaid. Read it yourself."

"Yeeeaaaaah, but! You were reading it before me, and it would be very rude to steal it away from you."

Lux rolls her eyes, plucking the book from Jinx's grasp. "You pick the oddest moments to use your manners."

Jinx doesn't reply, simply smiles again - more sincerely this time - before settling back into Lux.

With a weary sigh, Lux flips open the anthology, clears her throat and begins to read. It's her favorite collection of poems, with its soft words like freshly laundered cotton, arranged with the careful precision of a mother tucking in her child. She is wary, at first, of Jinx interrupting her further. But Jinx stays surprisingly silent. Lux steals quick glances between each verse and finds Jinx listening with rapt attention. It's the first time Lux ever saw her so contained, so focused, not jumping about in that wild manner of hers. It fascinates Lux in a way she can't explain.

"What's the matter?" Jinx asks, cutting through Lux's thoughts. "You stopped reading."

"Oh!" Lux starts, feeling heat bloom on her cheeks. "Apologies. Where was I?"

"I want a word for almost home."

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Lux sneaks one last glance at Jinx, sees her waiting so patiently, so quietly, and thinks maybe - just maybe - Jinx isn't all bad.

* * *

"I want a word for almost home." from "there and back again" by n.m.h.


	13. Iridescent

IRIDESCENT  
_luster_

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, Lux," Quinn smiles with Valor squawking on her shoulder.

Lux beams in reply. She turns to their scrim partners and nods at them. "Have fun and good luck!"

Jinx huffs, wiping down Fishbones. "Well, you're in a good mood, Flashlight."

"Yup! Not even you can ruin my day."

Jinx snorts, about to make a smart comment. But then, she looks up and sees Lux flash a big, brilliant smile at Sona. And the words die in her throat.

The light loves Lux. Jinx doesn't know if it's her magic or an innate aspect of her features - the peak of her brow, the curve of her cheeks. Either way, the light loves Lux. It's how the sun shines through her hair, blurring the lines between yellow locks and yellow light. It's how she smiles and Jinx thinks of clear, open skies like open hands, palms up and fingers spread wide with blank promises. It's how Jinx looks at Lux and sees stars in the corner of her eyes - her lips, pinpoints of warmth like constellations, leading the lost and the lonely home.

But that's a load of schmoopy sap crap. It's too gentle, too cotton-soft, too milk-sweet, nothing at all like Jinx. Where did that even come from? Holy shitstick on a biscuit! It's a good thing she isn't connected to a Summoner. Talk about embarassing. It would totally ruin her rep, bankrupt her street cred, void her avenue coupons… Okay, that got a little away from her.

"Champions! Prepare for battle!"

The summoning platform begins to glow. Jinx swallows, shouldering Fishbones. She looks at Lux out the corner of her eye, watching Lux laugh and chat with her teammates. There's a sharp, whining sound before summoning magic consumes all of them whole. It breaks them down to particles and parts, preparing to re-assemble them on the Rift. In that split second of transition, between here and there, Jinx quietly wishes Lux would smile at her.


	14. Caprice

CAPRICE  
_impulse_

"Excuse me?"

Lux can't believe Jinx is a real person. As in an entity she currently shares the same plane of existence with. Renekton, sure. Twitch, alright. But Jinx? It was illogical. It was ridiculous. It just plain didn't make sense. But here is irrevocable proof, staring her straight in the eye, and smiling. It's two in the morning.

"It's two in the morning."

"I know. I couldn't sleep. So I thought I'd drop by. See what you were up to."

Lux sits on her bed, in her bed clothes, and stares at Jinx.

"It's two in the morning."

"Yeah. I wanted to catch you before work hours. I mean, before you got all busy and stuff."

"It's two in the morning."

"You keep saying that. Are you okay?"

The Crownguard Estate possessed an exceedingly complex, state-of-the-art security system. It was designed by the famed Heimerdinger himself and second only to the protections of the Royal Palace. Jinx managed to climb up to her room, open her window, and ask her out on a date, without tripping an alarm. Lux is justifiably concerned, and grudgingly impressed. She is also freaking out because what. What?!

"What?!"

"Are you okay?"

"No before that. When you asked me out. What?"

"What what? I asked you out."

"You came all this way from - wherever you were from - !"

"The Institute. I came from the Institute."

" - to ask me out?"

"I couldn't sleep."

Lux feels her face contort into increasingly distressed expressions. Her mind desperately attempts to process the strange creature before her, but to no avail.

"So, what? You just had nothing better to do?"

"Pretty much."

"Couldn't you, I don't know, go on a wild crime spree or something?"

Jinx gasps. "A Demacian? Suggesting mayhem and mass murder? Miss Luxanna, I am appalled." She wiggles her eyebrows. "Go on."

"That's not - I didn't mean - Ugh, forget it." Lux buries her face in a nearby pillow.

"I mean... I was tempted. I came here, saw the tall, gleaming buildings, with the neat spires, and the straight - straight lines... Everything here is so angular, you know, all symmetrical. I was itching to blow stuff up. But then, I figured, starting a crime spree here wasn't gonna win me brownie points with you."

Lux stills and slowly raises her head. She looks Jinx in the eye.

"So, you're telling me, the only reason you didn't, in fact, blow my city up is because you wanted to ask me out."

"Yeah, sounds about right."

"Are you holding my city hostage?"

"What? No! Where'd you get that idea?" Jinx tilts her head. "Is this the first time you've been asked out?"

"What - I don't - Why does it matter?"

"Because, I mean, this is pretty standard procedure. You know, the whole I do something nice for you - !"

"By not blowing up my city?"

" - you go out with me..."

"What if I say no?"

"Then, I guess, bombs away."

"So you are holding my city hostage!"

"I was joking."

Jinx cackles, rocking backwards. Lux studies her for a second. A smudge of oil paints her nose. Bags hang from her eyes. Her long, blue hair slips out of its usually tight braids. She looks like milk left under the sun to spoil sharp and sour. On the other hand, even rudely awakened, Lux is pristine. Her hands are folded on her lap. Her back is poised at a ninety degree angle. She is the picture of Demacian pride.

Lux swallows. "Why me?"

"Why not you?"

"Couldn't you find some other person to toy with? Someone more like you."

"You are like me."

"I'm not."

Jinx smiles, a slow, mad crawl of her mouth. Pink lips pulled tight against white, white teeth. A sliver of moonlight falls then, pure and bright, highlighting her sickly, sallow skin. She looks haunted and holy and Lux feels something - not quite fear - coil in her gut.

"Aren't you bored, Lux?"

Jinx, loud-as-rocket-fire Jinx, speaks softly now.

"Aren't you tired? You're always a hundred steps ahead of everyone else. No one can keep up with you. Isn't it dull? Waiting for them to catch up. When all you wanna do is go running right ahead."

Lux swallows. She can feel her heart pounding in her ears. A sticky staccato beat, like gunfire, she thinks.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't have to be bored, Lux. Go on a date with me. It will be... Illuminating."

"I'm not killing people."

"Sure. Fine by me."

"Or committing any crime."

"Oh, come on!"

"I mean it, Jinx."

Jinx stills. A half second passes. Then she smirks, leaning in. Lux should move away, move back. But Demacians have never been good at yielding.

"I like the way you say my name."

Lux feels heat flush her cheeks, sweat beading her temples. Jinx is so, so close now.

"Say it again."

It's a mistake. She knows it's a mistake.

"Jinx..."

"Yeeeeeeees?"

"I - it's two in the morning."

Jinx blinks before pulling back. Her loud, raccous laughter rasps against the still silence. Lux takes a long and deep breath. Her hands ease out of the fists she doesn't remember forming.

"That's not a no, Flashlight." Jinx says, grinning.

And it really isn't, Lux thinks, dizzy and disoriented from what she couldn't rightly name. But it has something to do with the curve of Jinx's neck, the hollow of her throat, and the dimples of her collarbobe. She swallows. Really, it's not a no.


	15. Crepuscular

CREPUSCULAR  
_dim, or twilit_

As the famed Lady of Luminosity, most people would think Lux prefers the brightest hours, like sunrise or a full moon midnight. Most people would be wrong. Lux prefers that odd in between moment, before the stars can shine and after the sun sets. She loves that time when the streetlamps aren't lit but there's no more daylight. It's the hour evening first breathes as the shadows lengthen, spilling across doorsteps to greet those coming home. Lux relishes that moment. The world feels smaller then, emptier too, as if she alone existed. There is no one and therefore, nothing to harm her. It's safe to come out.

She takes walks then. She takes advantage of the shops closing, the avenues clearing, all the people tucked in their houses. She walks and she thinks about nothing and everything. Is there a God? What happens after death? Why does Garen hide in bushes? And here, in these moments, she has herself - her thoughts, her time, her attention - all to herself. She doesn't owe anybody anything. Not a thing.

It is then jarring and painful and flat out rude to be disturbed on her walks. But Jinx never did care for manners or basic human empathy. So there she is, waving, as Lux turns the corner.

"Oh, good Liberty, you are stalking me."

They're in a park. It's one of Lux's favorite walking routes (though she is re-evaluating her preference). Specifically, they're at the playground area of the park. It was long past the hour children went home. There's no one around save for the two of them. Jinx is standing on a swing, idly swaying. Lux looks on from her place by the sandbox.

"No! What makes you think that?" Jinx cackles, throwing all her weight forward. The swing creaks in protest as she sways faster, back and forth and back and forth.

"There is really no other reason for you to be here."

"I could be checking out your playgrounds. I hear Demacia has the best seesaws. Something about scales and justice."

"Will you just go away already?"

"Why? I'm having fun here. Hey, you think I can swing all the way around? Go the full 180?"

"I can call the authorities. I can bind you in place - keep you here till they arrest you."

"Yeah, you could. But you won't."

"How can you be sure?"

Jinx stops her swinging and looks at Lux. "Because you haven't yet."

"It doesn't mean I won't."

"Doesn't mean you will."

Lux grits her teeth. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"We still need to go on our date."

"I never agreed to that."

"You never said no either." Jinx plops down, properly sitting on the swing. "Now get over here and push me."

Lux shouldn't. She really shouldn't indulge the psychopath. She should just walk away, call the police, and head back to her house. Except, she really couldn't, in good conscience, subject others to Jinx. She simply didn't trust non-champions to subdue her effectively. Moreover, any proper attempt at arrest could lead to her violently resisting, which meant rockets, which meant death and destruction on an epic scale. At the very least, if Lux is around, Jinx would be too preoccupied with her and won't go wreaking havoc. Hopefully.

Stepping over the sandbox, Lux heads over to the swing set. "For the record, this is not, in fact, proof of my attraction to you."

"Whatever you say, Flashlight."

It's later now. The stars are out. The streets are lit. Evening has well and truly settled. They are still alone in the playground. For a moment, neither speak. Only the creaking swing fills the silence. A cold breeze brushes past, whispering through the trees, the bushes, the grass. Lux shivers, wondering how Jinx isn't freezing.

As if sensing her thoughts, Jinx speaks up. "Hey, Flashlight."

"What?"

"You should swing with me."

"Why?"

Jinx looks over her shoulder. "Do you really need a reason? Can't you do it just 'cause?"

"I don't want to swing."

"That's a lie. Swinging is the best. And when was the last time you sat on a swing?"

"I don't remember."

"Exactly! So come on already!"

Preferring not to humor Jinx a minute longer, Lux bites her lip. She thumbs through her thoughts, grasping for an excuse. Clearing her throat, she says the first thing that comes to mind.

"Swinging is for children."

Jinx digs her heels in, stopping her momentum. She twists in her seat, staring at Lux in disbelief.

"Oh, really? That's all? Well, I'm swinging, aren't I?"

"Case in point." Lux smirks.

"Excuse you, I am a grown woman."

"Could have fooled me."

Jinx glares at her, nonplussed. "So what? Are you, like, scared or something? Scared someone's gonna walk by and laugh at you?"

Lux blinks. "...No."

"There's no one around, Flashlight. Only me and I promise not to tell."

Lux makes a noise of protest. Jinx pats the swing next to her. Out of excuses, Lux sighs and takes the seat. Jinx laughs with pure, unfiltered glee.

"Next time, come up with a better lie."

Lux smiles wryly. "Was I that obvious?"

"You weren't trying."

Lux raises an eyebrow. "And you would know?"

"Of course!" Jinx beams.

"How - !"

"Hey! Wanna see who can jump the farest?"

Lux looks at Jinx in askance. "What?"

"You know! You swing really high. Then you jump!" Jinx explains, demonstrating with her hands. "Pchooo!"

"I'll take a raincheck."

"Right. Can't ruin your hairdo, or whatever. I get it."

Scowling, Lux glares at Jinx. What the hell, she's gone this far. "Fine. Let's do this."

Jinx whoops. "Okay! On you marks! Get set! Go!"

Lux rolls her eyes and half heartedly starts swinging. Beside her, Jinx practically takes off.

"Oh, come on, Flashlight! You can do better than that!"

Hands curling into fists, Lux pumps her legs faster. The cool evening air whips her face as she picks up speed, swinging higher and higher. The playground dissolves into half lit blurs. The ground peels away. It has been too long. She almost forgot what it was like, and how much she loved it, the way her stomach sinks to her spine, her hair flying in the wind. It's how the earth looks so far and the sky looks so near. It's that one breathless moment she can't tell flying from falling.

It's as if she's five again. She's five and Garen's ten. His hands, big and warm, push her gently. There's laughter. It's hers and her brother's. They're together, like always, like they have forever. She's five and she doesn't know the Measured Tread or the back alleys of Noxus or the smell of urine and fear. She's five, and the sun is shining, and all she wants is up. Past the clouds, the moon, the stars, she wants nothing else, just up.

"On the count of three!"

Lux blinks. She's not five. There's no Garen. But Jinx is here.

"One!" Jinx who laughs like she's breathing her last.

"Two!" Jinx with her slashed open grin.

"Three!" Jinx shouts, swinging up and and up and up.

Lux lets go. And for one endless second, she hangs in the air. Her eyes gaze at the sky above and she swears she could touch it. But all too soon, gravity tugs her down and she's rolling, tumbling to the ground, crashing into Jinx.

She'll have bruises tomorrow. She'll come home a mess. Mother will look so disappointed. But that's later. Now, she's laughing like she can't stop, like this moment won't end. Here, in the empty playground, no one sees her eyes well up. No one sees tears fall down her cheeks. No one sees how she laughed so hard for so long she started crying. No one except Jinx. Infuriating, unreasonable, dangerous Jinx. She wraps an around Lux's shoulders, offering what little comfort she can give. And she lets her cry, just cry. She doesn't say a word.

Lux rests her head on Jinx's shoulder and knows. She knows then and there that she's going to say yes. When Jinx asks her out, she's going to say yes. Because she wants this, more moments when she can't tell flying from falling, the gaps where she gives up all control. She wants up, just up. If only for a little while, she thinks, just a little while longer.


	16. Epitome

EPITOME

_embodiment of the ideal_

She was a scholastic prodigy at eleven, a strategic genius by fifteen, and a war hero before her nineteenth birthday. A paragon of Demacian virtue, they called her, a shining example of military superiority. Jinx takes one look at her, and laughs. They both know better.

The Demacian Chronicles can say whatever it wants. Praising her bloodline, esteeming her natural gifts - it was all lip service. She's no exemplar of might and honor. She doesn't fight on the front lines, clapped in shining armor, bleeding, sweating under the pounding heat of battle. That's her brother. Oh, she's capable of direct combat, sure. On the Fields of Justice, she's more than happy to bring out her offensive abilities. But then again, illusions and misdirections are her specialties.

Let them think her explosive, aggressive, a lane bully. Let them think her flashy and loud and glaringly obvious. The first skill she learned was to turn herself invisible. If they expect from her blinding light and obnoxious laughter, they won't look for her in silence and shadows. And isn't it ironic, that the so-called "Lady of Luminosity" works in the dark?

There lies her battleground, in the back streets and back alleys, where no light can reach. There is no glory, no honor, no romance in her duties. It's not fighting the way little Demacians are told before bedtimes. There is no combat, no hand to hand or sword to sword, no matching of physical prowess. There is only swift and efficient execution, with no room for error. Or witnesses.

And so, she smiles. She giggles. She greets her fellow champions. She walks the halls of the Institute and hides in plain sight. But Jinx saw her. Jinx knows she's not some beacon of purity and goodness. Jinx knows she's not the Measured Tread calcified into flesh and bone. Jinx knows she's neither luminous or a lady. Her work is essentially to cheat. It is sabotage and theft. She is nothing more than a thief.

And maybe, it's because Jinx is a criminal. Maybe criminals develop a sense for recognizing other crooks. But then again, looking at Jinx was like looking at a mirror, with cracks blooming out the center, a spiderweb of lines both beautiful and sharp. They both know. What they are is never what they appear to be.


	17. Desultory

DESULTORY  
_half-hearted, meandering_

Something's wrong with Jinx. At least, more wrong than usual. She just went 0/11/2 in her last match. It wasn't as if her Summoner was unskilled, quite the opposite actually. Although, they were complaining of an odd lag, a problem in the connection between Summoner and Champion. According to them, it was as if Jinx simply lacked the desire to fight. She followed commands slowly and moved sluggishly, not even trying to dodge skill shots. It was quite out of character for someone whose passive is, "Get Excited!"

Lux is concerned. After the match ended, she heads over to Jinx's room. The Zaunite wing stood as far as physically possible from the Piltovians, and subsequently, all of Piltover's allies. This also meant the wing was next door neighbors with Noxus. Needless to say, a paragon of Demacian virtue, such as Lux, has never approached the general area. She wouldn't know which room belonged to Jinx. But luck is on her side. Zac finds her loitering about the wing's entrance and quickly directs her to Jinx's quarters.

"But..." He says, a frown wrinkling his lips. "I don't know if now is a good time."

"It's that bad?"

"See, I can't... really... tell. I haven't heard a peep from her since she got back. Usually you'd hear music or a sautering iron or laughing, lots of laughing. But not today."

"Thanks, Zac. For the heads up."

Zac huffs in amusement, crossing his arms. "And you're still going to see her, aren't you?"

"Am I that obvious?"

Zac only shakes his head. He waves good bye and continues on his way. Lux waves back, watching him turn the corner and disappear. She takes a deep breath. Walking to Jinx's room, she drafts a speech in her head. Hey, Jinx. Heard you were having an off day. I came to check on you. Are you okay? No, that isn't any good. She's obviously not okay. Asking would be pedantic and redundant. Lux should just say hi, ask her if she needs anything, and try to cheer her up. Yeah, that sounds like a better plan.

Nodding to herself, Lux stops in front of Jinx's door. She squares her shoulders and knocks, a light tap-tap against the wood.

"Go... Away." She hears Jinx mutter from within.

"It's me, Lux. I... Are you okay?" Lux winces, mentally slapping herself.

"Leave... Me... Alone."

She scowls and knocks harder. "Let me in, Jinx."

"Oh my god! Are you stupid? I told you to beat it!"

This is getting her nowhere. Kneeling down, Lux pulls a pin out of her hair. The Institute may have the most complex and sophisticated protection spells but they still locked doors with old fashioned keys. As it so happens, Lux is skilled at picking locks. With nimble fingers, the knob turns and she lets herself in.

"How'd you do that?"

Jinx lies on her bead, swaddled in sheets from head to toe. Only her face is visible. Her half-lidded eyes don't register any surprise, just weariness and exhaustion.

"Spell thief." Lux says simply. "Emphasis on the thief."

Jinx groans, pulling the blankets completely over her. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

"Sucks doesn't it? The shoe's on the other foot now."

"Really, Crownguard? Never knew you did vindictive."

"You bring out the worst in me."

Approaching the bed slowly, Lux takes a seat on the desk chair. She looks about the room, taking it all in. The mess was no surprise. Dirty laundry sat in clumps on the floor. A myriad of gears, springs, and wires littered every flat surface. Boxes of take-out were stacked in corners, left to rot. Although, how Jinx got take-out delivered to the Institute is a mystery.

What did surprise Lux were the papers scattered everywhere, tucked under the mattress, shoved between boots, or laid out next to guns. Each and every sheet had a design, increasingly complex and advanced. These were blue prints for revolutionary weapons that could change the face of war. But Lux is more impressed by the equations, the lines and lines of calculations all handwritten.

"So, what did you want, Flashlight?"

"Did you do all of this?" Lux breathes, eyeing the figures etched on the wall.

Jinx peeks out from under her covers, following Lux's line of sight. She snorts. "Oh, that? Yeah. Why?"

"These are impressive. Wow."

Jinx raises a skeptical brow and turns to Lux. "Really? You think so? It's just stuff off the top of my head."

"No, I can tell." Lux looks back at Jinx, admiration evident in her voice. "This 'stuff' is groundbreaking. Horrific but highly advanced."

Jinx blinks. The red of her cheeks made more evident by her pale skin. She ducks back under the sheets.

"Look, if you got no business here, then just go away."

Lux raises her chin. "Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"Why do you care? You don't even like me."

"You're acting strange and I'm concerned. Just because... we're not friends, doesn't mean I can't worry."

"You're not my fucking mother. It's none of your business. Go. Away."

"Just tell me what's wrong!"

Jinx bursts out from under her blankets. She sits up straight and stares Lux right in the eye.

"Nothing's wrong! Okay?! There's no problem! There's no crisis! Everything is peachy keen!"

Chest heaving, Jinx coils her hands into fists. Uncut nails dig into her palms as she clutches the sheets, wide-eyed and white-knuckled.

"Nothing's wrong... It's just me... It's just me, okay?"

She then bows her head, trying to will her tears away. For a very long, very drawn out moment, neither speak. Jinx can feel Lux's gaze still studying her, dissecting her to molecules and atoms. She's so sharp. Lux is so sharp and so smart and so pretty. And Jinx aches all over to have her.

Faintly, she hears the chair scraping back, and footsteps, the doorhinges creaking, then silence. Jinx huffs. Wrapping her arms around herself, she tumbles back into bed. She re-spins her cocoon of blankets, eyes fixed at nothing in particular. Bitch, she thinks. Didn't even close the damn door.

Jinx doesn't know how long she laid there, prone and unmoving. Five minutes? Ten minutes? Lux would know. Lux knows everything. Jinx wishes she stayed. But she's not surprised Lux left. Everyone else did.

Footsteps snap Jinx out of her daze. It is the slow, shuffling gait of a summoner. She buries her face in a pillow and prays for them to leave, to keep going, to walk past her room. The footsteps stop, right outside her door, of course. She toys with the idea of shooting them in the face. But that never worked before. Maybe she should shoot herself.

Another set of footsteps come running in. It has the distinct metallic clink of armor. A champion, Jinx figures, except no one from Zaun wore armor. Then she hears Lux's voice.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"I am here to escort Jinx, the Loose Cannon, onto the Rift. She has been selected."

"Well, you can just bug right off."

"I beg your pardon."

"Jinx isn't feeling well today. She won't be participating in any more matches."

"I'm sorry, but that simply isn't done. A champion comes when they are called. This is the rule."

"Rules can be broken. Just tell them... there's a connection problem. Jinx will be unavailable unil further notice."

"But you can't just - !"

"Did I stutter, Summoner?"

"No, but - !"

"So, leave. Go on. Shoo."

There's a pause. Jinx holds her breath. The seconds tick by before she hears it The slow, shuffling footsteps walk away. The doorhinges creak again. She sits up, the covers slipping off as she watches Lux step into the room.

"Flashlight." Jinx croaks, swallowing. "You're back."

Lux smiles sheepishly. "Sorry about that... I just... Here."

She holds out a tub of green tea ice cream. Jinx stares at it for a second, brows furrowed.

"For... me?"

"Yeah. I thought - It helps me when I feel sad. So, I figured, you know."

Jinx takes note of the flush crawling up Lux's neck, to her cheeks, to the tips of her ears. She snorts. That's so fucking adorable.

"Thanks."

Lux starts, as if surprised by her gratitude. But she quickly regains composure, squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath.

"Look. I get it. Sometimes, you just feel sad. And there's nothing you can do about it. And that's fine! You can feel sad. I'm not going to - I won't try to cheer you up. But I'm not - I'm not going to leave you either."

Jinx blinks, baffled. "Why not?"

Lux pauses, wetting her lips. "I know what it feels like to be alone when you're sad."

She then walks over, clearing a space on the desk and setting the ice cream down. She moves to take a seat herself, smoothing down her skirt, folding her hands in her lap. She sits, with knees together and back straight, a picture of order in the middle of a mess. In contrast, Jinx is on her bed, with unbraided hair she hasn't brushed and oil stains she hasn't washed. There's grit stuck under her nails and dried blood on her fingers. And Lux sees that, sees all of that.

But still, she says, "I hope you don't mind if I stay."

Jinx swallows. She can't breathe. Her lungs swell, too small and too big at the same time. It presses against every bone of her ribs, testing its absolute limits. But still, it is not enough air.

She's in trouble. She's in so much goddamn trouble.


	18. Incandescent

INCANDESCENT  
_glowing, radiant, brilliant, zealous_

"I don't get the point of try-outs," Draven grumbles, crossing his arms.

"We are searching for the best champions to represent Noxian interests in the upcoming match," Darius replies, only the slightest hint of exasperation in his voice.

"Yeah, no - I got that. I'm not an idiot, bro," Draven snaps back. "And that's fine, you know, for the top, the mid, the support, and the jungle. But what's the use of scrimming with the Zaunite slut? Everyone knows Draaaaaaaaven's gonna be the ADC."

Lux clenches her fist, hissing out a breath through shut teeth.

She's in the observation deck with the other League members. They're all spectating a try-out match to decide the best team combination for an upcoming showdown between Zaun and Piltover. The contested issue concerns intellectual property rights, both cities accusing the other of patent infringement. If Piltover won, they will be the sole owner of the new invention and gain complete control of its distribution. Likewise, if Zaun won, they would gain that right. Demacia and Noxus naturally got involved because if their allies won, they can access the invention and simultaneously prohibit its sale to their enemies. Demacian and Noxian champions were then ordered to volunteer their aid in the upcoming match.

The widened champion pool required further deliberation from the summoners. They wanted the best possible composition which led to these try-outs. Currently on the field, Janna, Rumble, Orianna, Corki, and her prince, Jarvan the Fourth, were trying out for Piltover. On the other side, Cassiopeia, Singed, Rek'Sai, Annie, and Jinx are trying out for Zaun. Well, Rek'Sai wasn't trying out more than the Summoners simply set her loose on the Rift.

"We need to ensure we are choosing the best," Darius answers with a huff.

"Uh, hello? I am the best? Like hands down, no contest. It should be me down here, showing off my skills, puting the fear of Draven into them. And! That blue-haired bitch had the worst KDA last week. She had at least five deaths in every match. We can't seriously be considering her."

Lux winces. Jinx hadn't been feeling well last week. Lux had visited her in the Zaunite wing, keeping her company. They had talked but not a lot and nothing of importance. Lux had hoped… Well, she was… She owed Jinx. After their meeting at the park, after Lux cried on Jinx, she had to - at least - visit her, especially when something was so obviously wrong. She didn't think it would help much, just sharing a tub of ice cream, and it obviously didn't. Jinx continued to perform abominably in her every match.

But it really doesn't concern Lux. If Jinx proves to be the worst ADC ever, she had no reason to care. She already tried to cheer her up. It didn't work, obviously. But she no longer owes her anything. Honestly, it would be beneficial if she was under performing, then Zaun (and by proxy, Noxus) would be less a threat on their roster.

And yet…

"What a surprise," Draven drawls, watching as Jinx gets caught by Janna's Howling Gale. "The whore gets knocked up."

The situation deteriorates from there. Corki bursts her down, getting her low, before Jarvan ganks with Rumble teleporting in. They then dive her under the turret, using their ult combo for a swift and easy kill. Her support, Annie, also dies in the skirmish, bringing the score to Piltover: 3 and Zaun: 0.

"Tch, dumb hoe," Draven continues, clicking his tongue.

Lux glares at him. She already figured out a way to shoot lazers from her eyes. It's only the League policy - of no combat outside the Fields of Justice - preventing her from frying Draven from where he stood. Still, the heat of her stare catches his attention.

Draven glares back. "Whatcha lookin' at, huh blondie?"

She shouldn't care. Draven shit talks Jinx. Okay. Fine. Jinx is nothing to her.

Lux feels a muscle twitch in her jaw. No. Not true. Jinx is not nothing. Somewhere between harassing her and making her cry, Jinx became her friend, her obnoxious, capricious, perfectly ridiculous friend. And sure, she's a pain but there's no denying the color she brought to her usually dull days. She understood Lux in a way both disconcerting and comforting. Here is someone Lux could be her absolute worst with. She could do whatever she wanted around Jinx, like casually attempt murder or cry. It's freeing in a way Lux never expected or knew she wanted. It's reason enough - more than - to call Jinx her friend.

And she'd be damned if she let anyone shit talk her friend.

Lux gifts Draven with a smile full of teeth and clears her throat, a snappy comeback on the tip of her tongue.

"Shut down!" The announcer declares before a word could pass her lips.

Lux starts and returns her attention to the Rift. It appears Jarvan the Fourth had been slain. Rek'Sai invaded his jungle and caught him by the Red Brambleback. She stole his buff and got him low. But she was incapable of killing him when his teammates came to his aid. He was almost come free when Jinx sniped him with her rocket.

"Lucky shot," Draven grumbles.

Lux isn't so sure it's luck. And judging by his thoughtful hum, Darius doesn't think so either. She stifles a grin, feeling treasonous for celebrating a kill on her prince. But it was an impressive feat and Lux is undeniably impressed.

The match continues with the Piltover team slowly pushing closer and closer to the enemy base. But Zaun is forcing them to fight-tooth and nail for every inch. Whenever the Piltovians engaged, the Zaunites counter-engaged with a vengeance. Jinx is the driving force in every teamfight. She stays in the backlines, letting Rek'Sai and Singed absorb all the crowd control. Then she shoots rocket after rocket on the champions all clumped together, via Jarvan's Cataclysm or Annie's stun. It's not so much a clean up than it is Jinx laying absolute waste. When she kills one, she gets excited and chases to kill the second.

She is a sight to behold, surging forward before the bodies hit the ground. Firing and firing, until fire becomes her. The glow of explosions suffuse her skin and she burns from the outside in. It reminds Lux of witch-hunts. She's never been to one but she imagines this is what it looks like.

Red eyes lit from within, mad with unholy glee, and hungry as the flames around her. Jinx laughs, high and sharp, even as smoke soaks her lungs and clouds her every breath. She does not fear fire for she was consumed long ago, scorched black and clean, and now there's nothing left to burn but everything else to gain.

Lux feels a gasp catch in her throat as Jinx takes down Jarvan the Fourth, then Janna immediately after. She rises to her feet, eyes wide with a fist muffling her shout, as Jinx kills Orianna then one, two rockets kill Rumble, and a final shot finds Corki. A pentakill. Just like that.

The observatory deck is stunned silent.

The Piltover team had Aspect of the Dragon. They had the Hand of Baron. They had destroyed two inhibitors with two lines of super minions flooding the enemy base. But it proved insufficient against Jinx with three fully built items and a B.F. sword. Lux feels her knees shake and she falls back into her seat.

"Well, shit," Draven breathes out before regaining his composure. "I mean, I coulda done that."

But his boast lacks its usual strength. A pinched brow belies his anxiety. Darius snorts beside him. They're both thinking the same thing. Draven is good, but _that_ was _insane_.

Lux bites back a hysterical laugh, her heart still racing. Of course, it was insane! Did anyone expect anything less from Jinx, the Loose Cannon?

It was an impressive feat of defense, but in the end, Piltover still won. They almost didn't, after Jinx got a quadrakill and Singed killed Corki, acing them again. But when the Zaunite team moved to contest Baron, her prince snuck into base and killed their open Nexus.

"Bah, if Draaaaaaven was playing, Zaun woulda won," Draven huffs, leaving the observation deck.

"Perhaps," Darius murmurs noncommittally, following his brother.

The other champions slowly filter out until only Lux is left. She remains in her seat, staring blankly at the switched off viewing screen. Her skin is flushed, capillaries filled with hot excess blood. The look on Jinx's face is seared into her synapses. Lux sees it every time she closes her eyes - every time she blinks - as a heat pools between her legs. And she thinks -

Oh no.


	19. Chrysalis

CHRYSALIS  
_protective covering_

Contrary to popular belief, when Jinx gets angry, she doesn't go on a wild killing spree. She doesn't unload her entire arsenal unto poor, unsuspecting cities. She doesn't wreak havoc, cause mass mayhem, and generally impose her presence on the unwilling. She does that when she's bored. No, when Jinx gets angry, truly and sincerely angry, she grins. She cracks a joke. She invents nicknames, petty and childish taunts to hurl at sneering faces. And she laughs. And laughs. And laughs. A high, tinny sound like knives scraping glass. It's a coping mechanism, if Lux ever saw one. The thing is, Jinx is always like that - always grinning and joking and laughing. She never stops.

And Lux gets it. She understands on the most basic and fundamental level. She has known that need to keep the world away. To keep those prying eyes from all that is soft and tender within you. To stop them from carving out the clawing, crying, screaming bits of you - the leftover pieces still dying to live. Lux knows what it means to laugh and pretend everything is fine, just fine. There's nothing to see here. Move along now, please.

Because here's the thing, Lux is always laughing too.


	20. Ineffable

_indescribable, unspeakable_

It was a gorgeous day outside. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and winter looks well and truly gone. After months of cold and snow, confined within the Institute's gray walls, Lux refuses to stay indoors a moment longer. But she does have a tall tower of paperwork sitting on her desk. She's been procrastinating. Winter isn't her favorite season, and since the Institute is secluded far up the mountains, she experienced its full brunt. The bone chilling weather depressed her and she couldn't bring herself to do much of anything. As a result, her work piled up and piled up. And now, here she is, torn between obligations and personal enjoyment.

Lux sighs, glaring balefully at her crowded desk. But she wasn't famous for her pretty face. She earned her honors, god damn it. She's fucking brilliant, thank you very much. So, she comes up with a compromise. After a minute of thought, Lux is sitting under a tree, basking in the sweet, spring sunshine. A makeshift desk is propped over her lap, the stacks of paperwork laid carefully on it. She's humming a bright, little tune, happily filling out reports. From her seat, Lux has a clear view of the surrounding area. It's mostly trees, a tiny grove of green with sheer, cliff faces rising on all sides.

A few fellow champions joined her outside. She can see Zyra nearby, planting her roots (literally). Master Yi is off by his lonesome, deep in meditation. Leona lays in the open grass, far from any shadow, and greedily soaks up the sunlight. Even Jinx is out. Wait. Jinx?!

Her head snaps up. Jinx is standing over her, arms crossed.

"Flashlight," she says, shaking her head and clicking her tongue. "I'm so disappointed in you."

Lux sighs, rolling her eyes. "What do you want, Jinx?"

Jinx glares at her, unimpressed. "Work? Really?"

"Unlike some people, I have responsibilities."

"Uh, have your spells finally blinded you? Look around! It's a beautiful day! You should be running around, enjoying the weather - !"

"I am enjoying the weather. I chose to do my work outside, didn't I?"

"Work is still work!" Jinx huffs, sticking a hand on her hip and swiping a sheet with the other.

"Hey!" Lux yelps, reaching out. She leans forward, nearly tipping over the makeshift desk.

Jinx lifts the stolen sheet higher and squints at it. "What even is this?"

"Reports. Classified reports," Lux says pointedly, pulling back. She crosses her arms and huffs, allowing Jinx to keep the sheet.

"If it was really so classified, you wouldn't be doing it in plain sight," Jinx smirks at her.

"You have no idea what I would willingly risk." Lux stares at Jinx squarely in the eye, lifting her chin.

There's a moment of complete stillness before Jinx looks away, cackling.

"Touche," she says, turning her attention back to the sheet. She quirks a brow as something catches her attention. "What's this?"

"What?" Lux asks.

Jinx returns the sheet and points at the very last line. "This."

"Oh. That's my signature."

"You mean that whole thing is your name?"

"Yup. Luxanna Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi-Crownguard, Lady of Luminosity."

Jinx stares blankly at Lux for a few short seconds then bursts out cackling again. "Holy shit! That's insane."

Lux scowls at her. "It showcases my lineage! My revered, ancient bloodline!"

"Chill, Flashlight. I've got lots of names too!"

"Do you now?"

"Yeah! Like monster or murderer or motherfucker."

Lux blinks, stunned. Then she shakes her head. "Are you always this crazy or is it just with me?"

"Nah, you're special!" Jinx waggles her brow.

"Oh, goodie," Lux says flatly.

Jinx beams before plopping down across from Lux. "So hey, explain it to me."

"Explain what?"

"You know," Jinx taps the sheet, "your name! How come you have so many?"

Lux squints at her. "Really?"

"I'm curious! What? I can't be curious?"

She purses her lips, thinking for a second. "It's just… no one ever asked about my name before."

"Well, I'm asking!" Jinx chirps, leaning her elbows on the makeshift desk and resting her chin on both palms.

"Yeah, you are…" Lux hums then clears her throat. She looks down at the sheet, tracing her signature with a forefinger. "Well, to start off, you have my two first names: Luxanna Mignonette."

"You have two first names?" Jinx butts in.

"It's a common practice in Demacia to give a child two first names," Lux explains, going into full lecture mode. "For example, Fiora Laurent is actually Fiora Marie Grimaldi Laurent."

"Huh. Weird."

She ignores Jinx and continues on. "Then there's Thermopolis. It's my mother's maiden name."

"Maiden name?"

"In Demacia, it's customary to have two surnames, with the first being the mother's surname prior to marriage. It's called her 'maiden' name because women are supposed to be virgins before they marry."

"What?! Do Demacians not believe in sex before marriage?"

"Oh no! No, no, no. It's an outdated belief. Sex is now done at a person's discretion. Some still believe in only doing it after marriage. But not all, certainly not."

"What do you believe?"

Lux flushes a bright red. "If it's with someone I care for, I have no objections."

"Hmmm," Jinx purrs, her lips curling up, a sharp glint in her eyes.

Lux hears alarm bells ringing in her head. Still, she meets Jinx's gaze and absolutely refuses to flinch. "I'm a bit of a romantic, yeah."

Jinx barks out a short, stinging laugh. "So, anyways! What's up with your last-last name?"

"Oh, Renaldi-Crownguard? It's an interesting story, actually. My Crownguard ancestors used to be only nameless soldiers. It wasn't until my great grandfather rose to prominence that my family received the name. He had single handedly fended off a squadron of Noxians from the injured King. For his heroic deed, he was dubbed Crownguard. Ever since then, my family has been steadily rising in prestige. But they weren't considered proper nobility.

At least, not before my grandmother married into the family. She was a Renaldi, an old family directly descending from the King's line. When the Crownguards were rising, the Renaldis were falling. They had an obscene excess in spending which resulted in total bankruptcy. And then, there were the damning rumors of George Renaldi, the family patriarch, fathering a child with a Shuriman whore.

Not that bastards were uncommon. No, the shame was due to his obvious and apparent infatuation with his mistress. To save the family some dignity, my grandmother married my grandfather. The Crownguards provided wealth and a good reputation. The Renaldis provided an elevation of status from upstarts to aristocrats."

Jinx sits, mouth open and brows raised. She does nothing but stare at Lux for a good half minute, causing heat to steadily color Lux's cheeks.

"Wow…" Jinx says finally, a little breathless. "TL;DR!"

Lux starts, blinking in confusion. "What?"

"So that's your name, huh?" Jinx taps the sheet again, eyeing the signature. "You have to write all that every time?"

"Only on official documents. It helps the scribes keep track of who did what."

"But it doesn't really tell me about you."

Lux furrows her brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Jinx starts, with a careless flip of her bangs, "sure! It tells me who your grandpa did and what your mother is. But it doesn't tell me about you. Like you're a Thermopolis and a Renaldi and a Crownguard. But what's the - the big deal really?"

Lux blinks, frowning. It's a preposterous question, she thinks at first - like a kneejerk reaction. In Demacia, names are everything. It's the first thing everyone considers when meeting someone new. It's the litmus test of worthiness, deciding if a person is noble enough to converse with. It's a neat label, carefully boxing someone up in legacy and duty and expectations. Who your parents are, what family you came from - it told everyone everything they needed to know. But that's in Demacia. And Jinx is very much not Demacian.

"It's family and it's, ugh, blood. I get that," Jinx continues with an uncharacteristically steady expression. "But it doesn't like define you, or anything. You're so much more than a Renaldi or a Crownguard, Flashlight."

"And you would know who I am?" Lux asks wryly.

"Yeah, I do actually," Jinx grins. "You're Lux."

"Lux?"

"Yep, Lux. You're a neat freak-busybody, a total square, a hopeless nerd - !"

"Gee, thanks."

"- and whoever you want to be."

The words give Lux pause. It's a surprisingly uplifting statement and not something she was expecting.

But then, Jinx grins wider and says, "And right now, you're being boring!"

Lux snorts, shaking her head. "Was this whole thing an elaborate plot to stop me from working?"

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaybe."

Lux sighs. "Okay, okay, okay. Just let me put away my things. Then we can hang out."

"Yay!" Jinx cheers, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around Lux.

"Augh! Get off! You'll tip over my desk! If my papers get grass stains, you're paying for it!"

Jinx only laughs.


	21. Opulent

OPULENT  
_ostentatious_

It had been a good day. Ezreal took her to Piltover, riding one of those new fangled, hex-tech conveyances. He called it a "car". She can't say much for his driving skills. But it was fun. They got some real food. They watched a movie. They bothered Jayce in his lab.

The hours just flew by. Now, they're back at the Institute. Ezreal is walking her to the dorms. It's like a scene from a sappy romcom. Lux never liked romcoms. But it's not so bad, she admits, to do basic boyfriend-girlfriend things, to be so cliche. When everything else in her life gravitates between the extreme and the excessive, it's nice to be normal every once in a while.

Of course, the mundane never lasts, not with her. As if cued by some mysterious force, Lux sees Jinx exiting the Demacian dormitories. She stifles a groan, feeling a headache already forming.

"Is that Jinx?" She hears Ezreal ask.

"Unfortunately," Lux sighs. "What in the world is she doing here?"

"Nothing good I'm sure."

Glancing at Ezreal, Lux notes the sudden tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes narrowed and his mouth clenched. She stops walking and grabs his arm, tugging him back. He yelps, flailing a little, then looks at her, confused. She smiles, a touch too wide.

The last thing she needs is a showdown between Ezreal and Jinx. Her boyfriend's tendency to be defensive coupled with Jinx's penchant for throwing water on grease fires would surely not end well for anyone involved, and maybe even for those only involved peripherally. And Lux so doesn't want to do clean up duty, not after she's had such a good day.

"Listen, Ez. I had a good time," she tells him.

"Oh! Um," he flushes a brilliant shade of scarlet, timidity quickly replacing tension. "Yeah, no, of course. I mean, me too!"

Lux laughs gently. Oh, darling boy. All the more reason to keep him from Jinx and her shenanigans.

"I needed today," she murmurs. "I didn't realize, but with all the politicking and the matches, I was wearing myself out. So, thank you, really. For giving me a break from all this."

Ezreal coughs, carding a hand through his hair and looking everywhere but at her. "Oh, yeah, sure! That is, ahem, no problem! Anytime!"

Lux shakes her head. Ezreal may be a prodigal explorer. But smooth, he is not. To be fair, she isn't either. She's just better at bluffing.

"Bye Lunge-a-lot!" They hear Jinx yell.

Sharing a confused look, they turn to find Jinx waving cheerfully at… Fiora?

"I despise you exceedingly," Fiora replies flatly, striding away and never once looking back.

"Huh," Ezreal frowns. "What's up with that?"

"No clue," Lux answers tersely.

Before Ezreal can ask anymore questions, Lux presses a kiss to his cheek. Whatever concerns he had turns into incoherent, red-faced spluttering. Lux snorts. Then, exploiting his disorientation, she grabs his shoulders and turns him around.

"Let's do this again sometime, okay?" She says sweetly.

"Uh, yeah, yeah, no psh! Definitely!" Ezreal wheezes out.

"Alright! I'll be seeing you around! Thanks again!"

Lux just about shoves Ezreal into the hall and away from the Demacian dormitories. She gives him one last cursory wave, making sure he's well on his way out, then whips around. She scowls, stomping over to Jinx. She doesn't know what this lunatic was up to, but she's going to find out. With her back turned to Ezreal, Lux doesn't notice the worried look on his face, watching her briefly before walking away.

"Oh hey, Flashlight!" Jinx greets her. "Didn't see you there!"

"Was that Fiora?" Lux asks, not bothering with niceties. "You know Fiora?"

"Why, hello Jinx! It's so good to see you! How are you? Lovely day we're having," Jinx replies, in a mocking approximation of Lux's voice.

"Answer the question."

"Geez, so rude! What's with the third-degree? You think I can't make friends?"

"No, it's just… It's Fiora. How do you know Fiora?"

"I don't like what you're implying here, missy. Is she too good for little ol' me?"

"To put it frankly, yes."

"Hey!"

"Well, at least, she thinks she's too good for you… So, c'mon, Jinx. Spill. How do you know Fiora?"

"Hmmm, I guess if you really wanna know…"

"Yes…?" Lux squints at her, suspicion growing.

"We hate-fucked once."

"What?!"

"Ooooh yeah. I sniped her on the Rift. Shut her down good. Also denied her a penta. She was soooooo mad. She went looking for me after the scrim. Then we made out."

"I… I can't believe…"

Jinx laughs. "You didn't think we were exclusive, did you, Flashlight? I mean, you've got your fun on the side and I've got mine."

"What? I do not - !"

"What do you call Ez then?" Jinx tilts her head, smirking.

"He's not 'fun'!" Lux bites out. "He's my boyfriend! If anyone's the 'fun' around here, it's you."

Jinx sticks out her lower lip and nods. "Yeah. That's fair."

Lux is silent for a moment, attempting to process. Then, slowly, haltingly, she says, "So… you… had sex with Fiora?"

"Yeah. You know, for a lady who specializes in thrusting, I always pegged her for a dildo user. Like a whole collection of dildos. But no, she just went down on me for daaaaaaaaaaaaaays."

"Ugh, too much information."

Jinx cackles. "No worries, Flashlight. You'll always be my forever girl."

"I thought we weren't exclusive."

"Yeah, but I can pick favorites, can't I? And you're mine."

Lux snorts and feels a bolt of heat flare down her spine. It's a joke. She knows better than to take it seriously.

Jinx smiles. "Even if her house is a lot nice than yours."

"You've been to her house?"

"I snuck into it, yeah. Lots of gilded everything. Pretty sure the toilet seat was made from gold. Only the finest for the Laurent ass, amirite?"

"And Fiora, she just what? Let you sneak in?"

"No, no. She almost killed me. Dashed my hopes for a round two," Jinx shrugs. "Ah well, more's the pity."

"You are…"

"Amazing? Awesome? Astonishing?"

"You're something, alright."


	22. Cashmere

CASHMERE  
_fine, delicate wool_

She stole it. Again. Lux sighs, staring forlornly at the open closet. Her favorite sweater, a gift from the Frejlordian ambassador, is missing from the rack. It was made from the finest wool the burgeoning state could offer. Or so the ambassador said. Whatever the case may be, it was soft and warm and perfectly snug. Lux treasures it dearly.

But Jinx loves it more, apparently. This is the third time she's stolen it. Lux shakes her head and shuts the closet doors.

The sweater remained out of her possession until she returned to the Institute of War. There had been a minor kerfuffle over the tentative truce between the Winter's Claw and the Avarosan. Demacia, of course, eagerly lent their aid to Queen Ashe, and Lux was requested to participate in the upcoming match. She wished for the comfort of her sweater now more than ever. The chosen arena was the Howling Abyss with its bone chilling winds and below freezing temperatures - not to mention all the ice spells going to be used.

Lux is then pleasantly surprised when, entering her Institute-assigned quarters, she finds Jinx fast asleep on the bed and wearing her sweater. She pauses at the threshold, steady gaze fixed on her unannounced guest. Jinx lies on her side, body folded nearly in half with her head pillowed on her hands. Save for the slight movement of her chest, she is completely still. Her face, neither smiling or frowning or grimacing, appears at peace. Lux swallows, barely daring to breathe. It feels as if she has stumbled unto something intimate, something precious, something she can't even begin to deserve. She takes a step back, hoping to leave the scene undisturbed.

But Jinx, as always, does what she wants. She rises to consciousness with a muffled groan. Gummy eyes blearily blink open. Her gaze is quick to find and settle on Lux, still stuck at the doorway.

"You're here!"

It's two words, two syllables. It's a measly gasp of a sound. It hits harder than any rocket as Lux watches life seep into every inch of Jinx's face, from the corners of her lips to the curve of her brows. When all was fragile and fuzzy before, now her joy brings everything about her into sharper focus. Jinx just lights up and the sincerity of her happiness is both daunting and piercing. And Lux can only smile helplessly.

"I'm here. The question is, why are you?"

Jinx wrinkles her nose in response and proceeds to shuck off the stolen sweater. She presents it proudly to Lux.

"I kept it warm for you, you know, for your match."

Lux blinks. She stares blankly at the sweater for a long moment, before bursting into giggles. Reaching over, she plucks the sweater from Jinx's hands The wool is, as promised, very warm.

"Thank you." She says, and means it.


	23. Diaphanous

DIAPHANOUS

_gauzy_

"So, what are we doing again?"

They are walking down Main Street, the shopping center of Demacia. Ritzy, designer stores lined the block, surrounded by crowds of customers all clad in shimmering apparel. Everything looked polished and refined, from the sharp point of a lady's heel to the color-coordinated shrubs on the sidewalk. Jinx itched for a gun.

Lux, of course, confiscated all of her weapons prior to leaving the house. There was a very, ahem, thorough body search involved. It was such dirty pool. Jinx loved and hated her for it. It didn't help that Lux blended in with her recently conditioned hair and manicured fingernails. Comparatively, Jinx was trailer trash.

"We're shopping." Lux replies, eyes darting from display to display.

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

Now Jinx happens to like being trailer trash. There was just something about dressing well that screamed of order and confinement. She rolled out of bed and threw on the first thing she saw. There was a memorable moment when she ran onto the Rift wearing her blanket like a toga. She would have gone naked but… sharp projectiles and tender regions.

"More like what isn't wrong with your clothes?"

Jinx rolls her eyes. Then she blinks, seeing something out the corner of her eye. An unholy smile graces her lips and she quickly darts away.

"Hey, Flashlight. What about these clothes, huh?"

Lux turns to find Jinx standing amidst a store display, a lingerie store display. In her hands, she holds up some sort of night dress. The hem would barely brush her thighs. It was made of a fine, silky, see-through fabric meant to accentuate a lady's assets.

"Wonk!" Jinx chirps, winking at her. "What do you say, huh?"

Lux snorts, shaking her head.

"There's no use. You've got nothing to show off anyways."

And with a flip of her hair, she walks away. Jinx's expression, mouth hanging open with eyes bulging out, she savors in apologetic glee.

"You take that back!" Jinx shrieks, dropping the dress and wrapping her arms around her chest. She looks down at her small - but still there! - breasts. "She didn't mean it, babies. Don't listen to mean old, Flashlight. You totally exist. I'd show you off in a heartbeat."

Lux freezes at that, a sinking sensation in her gut. She turns sharply on her heel. "Jinx! Don't you dare!"

Too late.


	24. Effervescent

EFFERVESCENT  
_bubbly_

The champagne sits perfectly chilled between her fingers. Her dress falls an easy, elegant line to the floor. All around, nobles and dignitaries laugh and talk freely as the liquor pours continuously. She stands with an aging councilor, forever stroking his beard and murmuring about the rising price of corn. Lux bobs her head politely, stifling a yawn.

It's another of Demacia's bi-annual galas. Held in the grand ballroom of Leoghtingham Palace, invited guests are treated to an evening of fine food, pleasant music, and cultured company. In other words, the gala was a flimsy excuse for various iterations of blue blood to bask in their supposed importance.

Lux thinks it a gigantic waste of time. Her wandering eye catches the sharp gaze of her mother. She stiffens and, pasting her smile more firmly on, she attends more carefully to the councilor.

"I say, Lady Luxanna." Lord Windsor says. "You have grown since I last saw you. Why, I could have sworn you were but a child only a year ago."

"You flatter me, my lord." She demurs.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you have a special gentleman in your sights? A beautiful woman, such as yourself, must never be in short of beaus."

"I… can't say that I have."

The councilor laughs then. "You better find one and soon, before your bloom fades. Then no one will marry you. What a tragedy that would be."

Lux purses her lips, breathing in sharply through her nose. "With all due respect, councilor, I think I'll survive."

That's when she spots it - a quick flash of familiar blue. She starts, nearly dropping her drink. No. It couldn't be. Her eyes dart from side to side, searching the crowd. But she doesn't see the blue again. It was a preposterous thought. Lux knew _she_ was crazy but surely not this bold, this daring. Her eyes were only playing tricks on her, a desperate bid for distraction from the endless boredom. There was really no way. She wouldn't. She couldn't.

"Lady Luxanna?"

"My apologies, sir. I was preoccupied. Could you please repeat yourself?"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. I was simply thinking you would make a fine mother someday, hopefully soon. Nothing strengthens Demacia more than a new generation of sons, I always say."

And Lux could reply with a soft "ah". She brightens her smile, swallowing her heated lump of fury.

All of a sudden, there's a loud yell, followed by a deafening crash. A voice, tiptoeing just on the edge of recognizable, shouts above the din.

"FIRE!"

The guards react quickly to the declaration. Before Lux can fully process this sudden turn of events, a wall of armor is gently but hurriedly escorting her out the door. The room is filled with panicked noises of attendees and the rushing sound of footsteps against marble. Lux is caught in the evacuating stream of bodies. Just as she passes through the doorway, a hand firmly grasps her elbow and pulls her aside. Then she is running, swiftly through the darkened corridors, dragged behind the mad, cackling Jinx. She would, she could, and she did.

"Jinx, what the - !"

"This is a prison break, Flashlight! Come on! Keep up!"

They rush down the halls, making sharp twists and turns. Wrestling with the length of her skirt and the height of her heels, Lux doesn't realize where they were headed until they burst onto the patio. Jinx stops then, spreading her arms wide and turning to face Lux.

They're in the garden. The crescent moon spills down, illuminating the flowers, the leaves, the grass all dewy from recent rains. The drops of water greedily absorb and reflect the light, in such a way as if to convince Lux that the stars have fallen. And Jinx smiles, with arms thrown open, as if to say the stars have fallen just for her.

For that one moment, Lux can't breathe.

Then Jinx steps aside, gesturing at the motorcycle parked behind her. And it was all Lux could do not to fall over laughing. It was so very Jinx.

"You own a motorcycle?"

"Nope."

Lux raises her brows, studying the vehicle. She notices the roman numerals for 6 spray painted on the engine. She shakes her head because, of course.

Far off in the distance, Lux can still hear the panicked voices of the guests. She bites her lip.

"You didn't actually set fire to anything, did you?"

"Do you actually care?" Jinx replies, walking over to her stolen bike. "You should be happy I didn't go in, guns blazing."

"Oh, yes. Well done. A golden cookie for not killing anyone."

Jinx swings a leg over the seat and settles down comfortably. She flashes a toothy grin. "Glad to see my efforts are appreciated."

Lux rolls her eyes.

There's a mild roar as the motorbike rumbles to life. Jinx revs up the engine, quirking a single, challenging brow.

"So, what do you say, Flashlight?"

Lux doesn't think. She won't let herself think. She only hikes up her dress and kicks off her shoes. Duty dictates she go back. She should ensure the safety and comfort of the guests. She should present a shining example of Demacian integrity. But Lux doesn't care about duty.

What she wants is this, as Jinx kicks up the bikestand and pops a wheelie. They tear through the gardens, flattening a rose bush or two on the way out. The wind whips through her hair, freeing it from the complicated up do. And then Lux is screaming, a senseless sound of pure joy to match Jinx's laughter.

"Carpe diem, motherfucker!"

This is what she wants, times like these when the world falls away and off her shoulders. This is what she asked from Jinx, these minutes, these seconds of raw abandon. She'll take whatever she can get, hoarding all these moments, these fleeting, fragile moments lost in the wind.


	25. Halycon

HALYCON  
_care-free_

They drive to the sea. It took them hours and hours, speeding past cornfield after cornfield after cornfield. But finally, the countless rows of faintly yellow stalks gave way to the tall, thick trunks of oak and pine. Jinx carved a winding trail through the woods, stopping only when they reached a cliff. Lux thought Jinx would drive them right over the edge. She didn't know whether to feel relief or disappointment when the brakes were applied.

This close, the waves are defeaning. The salt-washed air dives deep into her lungs. It's invigorating and overwhelming all at once. Lux wonders if she could drown like this, standing on the precipice of a vast and empty sea. No instance of man can be found here, no ships or sails between her and the endless horizon.

Born and raised in the heart of Demacia, conscripted to fight in narrow alleys and cramped rooms, she is so far from everything and everyone she knows. Here, she is no master manipulator, no mover of men. Here, where the sky yawns wide open, where the sun rises for the trillionth time, where the seas churn as it always had long before her ancestors and always will long after she dies - here, she is small.

The Measured Tread is a faint echo. The weight of duty is swept away by the breeze. Overhead, daybreak sweetens the sky from a deep black to a faint purple. And she stands before the rising sun, not as Luxanna Crownguard, not as the Lady of Luminosity, but as Lux. Just Lux.

Because the world is very big and she is very small. And in another trillion sunrises, no one will be left to remember her. She is insignificant. All of time and space cares not for her faults and follies. She is free to do as she wishes.

Lux turns to Jinx, a challenge promised in her smile. "Race you to the bottom?"

Jinx blinks, startled. But she recovers quickly and grins just as wide. "You're on, Flashlight!"

Lux laughs and, without pausing to think or breathe, she runs to the cliff edge. And she jumps.


	26. Ebullient

EBULLIENT  
_enthusiastic_

"Hey, Lux!"

Rising up from his seat, Ezreal runs up to Lux. They're in the communal dining hall, where hungry champions go to eat. They have no choice. The Institute is stuck in the middle of nowhere. Restaurants aren't exactly within walking distance. So, Noxian, Demacian, or whatever else, everyone goes to the dining hall.

"Oh, Ez!" Lux greets him, pausing on her way out. "Is there something you need?

Ezreal sheepishly rubs the nape of his neck. "Yeah… Um… You mind if we talk? Somewhere private?"

And because this is the League, populated with the superhuman and the nonhuman, someone will always overhear a conversation. It doesn't matter how softly people talk. In this case, the sharp ears of a certain plague rat perk up. Twitch wolf whistles at Lux and Ezreal.

"Bow chicka wow wow!"

Since the dining hall often houses rival factions, at the same time, it consequently had the most thorough suppressing spells. No one can use magic. That is the only reason for Twitch's continued existence as Ezreal glares at him. He's about to give the rat an earful when Lux places a placating hand on his shoulder.

"Forget him. Come on, you can walk me to my room. We can talk on the way."

Ezreal nods, not trusting himself to speak. They make their way out of the hall. But not before Twitch yells a parting remark.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

There's a pause. Then Lux is heard from just past the threshold.

"That doesn't leave many options, since no one will do you!"

The whole hall erupts into laughter and applause. Twitch can be seen gaping, slackjawed before a helpful Zac closes his mouth. Walking side by side, Lux shoots Ezreal a toothy grin as they head to the Demacian wing. He shakes his head, smiling at her.

"You're something else, Lux."

"Thanks." She wets her lips. "But, ah, you didn't want privacy just to compliment me. Right?"

Ezreal snorts. "Straight to the point."

Lux winces. "Yeah. I suppose it's not my best quality."

"No, it's fine. I prefer it this way."

He takes a deep breath then. They're alone in the hallway. Their footsteps echo against the flagstones. The hextech lamps buzz with energy, specially enchanted to reveal even the hidden. Similar to the pink wards in a match, it assures Ezreal of their solitude.

"Look, Lux." He starts. "I noticed you've been… hanging out… with some people…"

Lux blinks. "Ez. You need to be more specific. I hang out with plenty of people."

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Obviously not."

"I'm talking about Jinx! I want to know why you're spending time with a known criminal! Lux, this isn't like you."

Lux doesn't speak for a moment. She closes her eyes and breathes out a sigh.

"I know." She says simply.

Ezreal waits for her to continue. But Lux remains silent. He gapes at her.

"You know? I don't think you do! She destroyed my city, she killed dozens of people, she incited mass hysteria - Lux, she's a terrorist! A murderer! A pyscho!"

"There were seventy casualties. At least a million worth in damages. Riots and wide spread looting followed. I know, okay. I know."

"But you still hang out with her? Why?"

"Because I… It's hard to explain."

Ezreal freezes in his tracks, Lux stopping beside him. He studies her for a minute, eyes narrowed and searching. Then he shakes his head, disappointment evident as he sighs.

"See, you don't know. If you knew, if you really knew, what it was like - the fear, the grief, the pain she caused she caused - you wouldn't stay in the same room with her."

Lux swallows, turning away from Ezreal. "…Alright. So, maybe I don't know her the way you know her. It wasn't my home destroyed. Those weren't my neighbors killed. She has done me no wrong. She is essentially nothing to me." She pauses, biting her lip. "That's why I can see her differently."

Without another word of explanation, Lux starts to walk again. Ezreal blinks, stunned for all of a second, before rushing after her.

"Differently? Lux, what - what are you saying?"

"I'm saying she's clever. She's witty. She's funny and strange and brilliant." Lux walks faster, looking straight ahead.

Ezreal arcane shifts in front of her, blocking her line of vision. "And this somehow makes up for her cruelty? Her senseless violence? Her lack of morality?"

Lux blinks, abruptly pausing mid-step. She shakes her head.

"No! I'm not…" She swallows. "I'm not ignoring any of that! I am fully aware of who she is and what she's done!"

"And you still hang out with her? Willingly?"

"It's really none of your business!"

Lux tries to push past Ezreal. But he stands firm, hands reaching out to clutch at her arms.

"Lux, please."

She sighs, sagging, eyes drifting shut as she leans her brow on his shoulders.

"She makes me laugh, you know? It started off with her just never leaving me alone. Ever. She'd pop out of the most random places. And I hated it. I hated her. But then…" Lux chuckles dryly, opening her eyes. "But then… I guess I got used to her. I got used to looking over my shoulder and there she would be."

Lux pulls away then, looking Ezreal in the eye. "And I knew, okay? I knew that she was bad news. Everyone knows. It's just… We started to have fun? I guess? She's so… We're not - We don't match. I mean you look at her then you look at me and it's like what the hell, but…" She lowers her gaze. "She makes me laugh, okay?"

"But it's Jinx! She's a menace!"

"Yeah! But Ezreal…" Lux breathes in deep, turning away from him. "People can be more than one thing. And Jinx… She can be both. Cruel and clever, senseless and witty, immoral and brilliant. She's a person, Ez."

"People don't go around doing what she does!"

Lux faces Ezreal then, glaring. "But people are the only ones who do! You don't see animals going to war or committing murder or wreaking havoc for fun! It's just us!" She pauses then, relaxing her stance. "I don't mean to make her… likeable or sympathetic. You can hate her, fine. But don't label her off as a one dimensional monster. Don't fool yourself into thinking she's not like us. That she's not a person. That she can't have friends. That she's only capable of cruelty."

Lux holds his gaze for a second longer before looking away. She starts to walk again but Ezreal remains where he stands. Then, as the distance between them grows, he speaks softly.

"Is she worth it?"

Lux pauses midstep. Silence follows. Neither move, with Ezreal carefully watching Lux. A second passes, then ten, then thirty. Finally, she clears her throat.

"Ez, you love exploring, right?"

Ezreal starts, raising a brow. "Yeah?"

"Like, you absolutely have to do this thing. You wake up in the morning and it's the first thing you think of. And you get so excited about it."

"Lux, where is this going?"

She faces him then. Her cheeks are dry but there's a watery sheen about her eyes. "You have something, a purpose, a passion. Something that makes you feel alive. And Ez, I'm really happy for you. But I don't have anything like that. I'm not like you. I came to the League because I had nowhere else to go. You… You have everywhere."

Ezreal furrows his brow. "What does this have to do with Jinx?"

Lux smiles, a sad, subtle quirk of her lips. "She makes things interesting, like I've got something to look forward to. She reminds me what alive feels like. And we have fun. That's all it is. We have so much fun."

Ezreal breathes. "Lux…"

"I know you mean well, Ez, I do. But I can take care of myself. And it's not like we've done anything bad - some graffiti but that's all, I swear. I'm not - I'm not turning into a criminal. I'm fine. Really." She huffs, shaking her head. "Look, if you see me, I don't know, taking candy from a baby, then you can slap me. But right now… I found a way to not be miserable, if only for a little while."

Ezreal inhales sharply then shuts his eyes, hands squeezing into fists. His brows furrow, thinking over everything Lux said. She waits patiently, not saying a word. After a minute, he sighs and bows his head.

"I can't even pretend to understand. But… she makes you happy?"

Lux swallows, whispering. "Yes. I suppose she does."

"Then it really doesn't matter what I say. You're going to do what you're going to do."

"Your approval would still be nice."

Ezreal slowly shakes his head, looking up at her. "I'm sorry, Lux… But that's just… not something I can give."

Lux holds his gaze, a challenge and a plea all in one. Ezreal does not blink. There's a moment of absolute stillness. Then, her eyes close, breath caught in her throat. She walks away from him.

"Okay." Lux says, barely audible . "Okay."


	27. Incorporeal

INCORPOREAL  
_without form_

Vayne doesn't know who they think they're kidding.

It's a scrim match, practice for tomorrow. Zaun and Piltover had gotten into a little disagreement over waste removal. Specifically, the Zaunite corporations have been dumping highly radioactive sludge into the bay and the mess reached Piltovian shores. A match was arranged to settle the conflict with each city-state requesting assistance from their respective allies. Vayne volunteered to help, mostly because she heard a few unsavory rumors connecting Zaunite tech with black magic. Enforcing a couple of corporate limitatons could only help her in the long run.

The Piltovian team consisted of Ziggs in the mid lane, Jayce in the top lane, Vi in the jungle, and Vayne in the bot lane with Sona support. Or it was supposed to be Sona support, but the Maven of Strings had a concert today and couldn't come to practice. Lux was called in to substitute. Now ordinarily, Vayne would have no complaints laning with Lux. She was an excellent team player, a brilliant strategist, and an all around pleasant person - if a tad too cheery at times. No, Vayne really had nothing to complain about. Except…

The Zaunite team had Mundo in the top lane, Victor in the mid lane, Warwick in the jungle, and Thresh supporting Jinx in the bot lane. It's a fairly tricky team but Vayne wasn't particularly worried. No, her problem lay solely on the enemy ADC. Once they met in lane, Jinx saw Lux and her eyes lit up with unholy glee. It takes a lot to scare Vayne but she saw those red eyes flash and felt a chill crawl down her spine.

For the first couple of minutes, everything was calm and it was mostly a farm fest. Thresh and Lux sat in the bushes as Vi and Warwick focused more on the top and mid lanes. Vayne and Jinx were left to last hit at their leisure. But just as Vayne began to feel a modicum of safety (boredom), Jinx opened her big, fat mouth and started to sing.

"Oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh! Caught in a bad romance! Oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh! Caught in a bad romance!"

A minute and a half later, she's still singing. She's also put an obscene amount of focus on Vayne's support, almost ignoring her entirely. It's a testament to Thresh's abilities that Jinx managed to survive for so long. The Chain Warden, for his part, appears vaguely amused by the proceedings.

Vayne winces in sympathy as Lux dodges a Zap! shot only to get a hook to the face. As she is dragged over, Jinx leers at her, dropping the chompers and doubling the crowd control.

"I want it bad, your bad romance," she croons, peppering Lux with bullets.

Vayne yells at her summoner and the Heal is cast, saving her support from the brink of death. She quickly follows up with a Condemn, stunning Jinx against the nearby wall. Lux seizes the oppurtunity and limps away, recalling to base. No kills, but Jinx falls blessedly silent in the absence of Lux.

Of course, it is a momentary reprieve and the second Lux returns, Jinx starts singing again. Vayne watches as Lux grits her teeth and continues her dodging dance. But the relentless focus is taking its toll.

"You and me could write a bad romance!" Jinx sings, hitting Lux with a well aimed Zap! shot.

"Careful, Crownguard," Vayne warns. "Any more and her ult will kill you."

"I am aware, Shauna," Lux pants, glaring at her. "I'm not an idiot."

Vayne huffs and returns her attention to farming.

Lux goes off to ward up. Again, a moment of reprieve as Jinx goes quiet with Lux out of her immediate sight. It ends all too soon as the singing starts up once more. Vayne lowers her crossbow, staring at a mute, equally confused Jinx. Lux reappears in lane, belting out the song with everything she got.

"'Cause you're a criminal as long as you're mine!" Lux catches Jinx's gaze and smirks, absolutely unapologetic.

Vayne feels a headache build behind her eyes as confusion drains from Jinx's expression, replaced with unbridled glee. Then, they're off. Jinx hardly bothers to properly farm, too busy with her impromptu duet with Lux. It would be a distinct advantage if Vayne could summon her focus. But although Lux is truly gifted in many areas, such as espionage and battle strategy, music is not her forte. She is horribly and painfully off key, with her voice cracking the way ice hisses in hot water. If utilized correctly, it could be an effective form of torture.

Vayne shares a look with Thresh and they nod. He leaves to ward anywhere, just away from bot lane. She heads off to farm the krugs, giving only a cursory heads up to Vi. It leaves Lux and Jinx alone in lane. Vayne would be surprised if either noticed the absence of her and Thresh. Both are too wrapped up in their little "thing".

Honestly, she doesn't know who they think they're fooling. There's a wordless something between Jinx and Lux, made of smug smirks and challenging grins. It's obvious in the way they dodged each other's skill shots, as if following the steps of a beloved dance. Intimacy and familiarity laces their every interaction, weaving a complex, nuanced cocoon around them - a barrier to keep everyone away.

Vayne thinks it especially fortunate that Demacia is allies with Piltover, not Zaun. The idea of Jinx and Lux laning together is a truly frightening thought. They wouldn't be unstoppable, but they would be a daunting pair to face, made all the more dangerous by their nameless, intangible "something".


	28. Insouciance

INSOUCIANCE  
_nonchalance_

"Sooooo…" Quinn starts, taking a sip of her tea. "What's up with you and Jinx?"

Lux stops stirring her coffee. "What is with everyone asking me about Jinx?"

Sona signs rapidly.

Lux sighs, rolling her eyes. "Ezreal asked me about it. He wanted to know why I was hanging out with, and I quote, 'a known criminal'."

"Well, why are you?" Quinn asks, leaning forward.

"We're friends! Is that so hard to believe?"

Quinn and Sona share a look. They gently set their cups down.

"Just friends?" Quinn presses.

Lux furrows her brow. "Well, yeah…"

Sona sighs and shakes her head. Quinn frowns, leaning forward. "C'mon, Lux. Be honest."

"I am!" Lux scowls. "What's this about?"

"We've seen the way you look at her. That's not nothing."

Lux stiffens, her breath catching. She swallows and turns away from Quinn. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Oh, please. Don't bother denying it! You're so obvious sometimes, I get embarassed for you."

Sona signs. Quinn clicks her tongue. "Well of course, you would think it's cute, Sona."

Sona signs again, faster this time, more agitated. Quinn flushes then smiles sheepishly. "Yeah, okay. I think it's cute too."

They turn their attention back to Lux. She clears her throat and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. She still avoids their gaze but slowly, hesitantly, starts to speak.

"Okay, so… I think… Jinxishot."

Quinn blinks. "I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?"

Lux draws a long, suffering breath. "I think Jinx is hot. Like really hot."

"Huh," Quinn hums thoughtfully. She sends Sona a meaningful glance. Sona smiles in response, shrugging. Quinn looks at Lux again. "And, that's all?"

Lux lifts her chin and stares Quinn straight in the eye. She isn't blushing or grimacing. Her expression is stubbornly calm and steady. "Yes, that's all. I think Jinx is hot. And yeah, okay, I guess I want to sleep with her. I'm only nineteen, you know. I still have… needs. That's all this is. Just a cocktail of hormones and teen impulses. It will pass."

Sona pinches her brow. Quinn purses her lips. Lux doesn't blink, refusing to recognize the pity lurking in their eyes. They have nothing to pity her for. She's perfectly fine. So, she wants to - to fuck Jinx, maybe. But that's a nonissue. It's just lust. It's nothing she'll lose her head over. She can handle a little sexual attraction. Or a lot. There's no reason for Quinn and Sona to look so… sad. As if they know something she does not. Because they don't.

There's nothing more to her and Jinx. Absolutely nothing at all.


	29. Enrapture

ENRAPTURE  
_delighted_

Lux is screaming. Her hands form fists. Her body thrashes from side to side. Lux is screaming, as if her skin is too tight, as if her bones are too small, as if her very soul is spilling out.

Which, Jinx realizes, is a distinct possibility considering Karthus is the lead singer. She eyes Lux, checking for any hints of soul stealing. Not that she knew what soul stealing looked like. But she imagines it would be painful. Lux didn't look pained. Jinx can't say the same for herself, since Lux is screaming right in her ear. Still, impending deafness aside, Jinx doesn't really mind. She stands by her decision to bring Lux here.

They're deep in the underbelly of Zaun, in an abandoned warehouse by the docks. It was the chosen venue for Pentakill's infamous jam sessions. The band is notorious for constantly changing practice spaces and only those with connections will ever chance upon their impromptu concerts. Jinx wasn't in the know, but she knew the right people to threaten. Pentakill is her favorite band, and in a rare instance of consideration, she invites Lux to come with her.

Jinx isn't the type to seek out company. If she wants to go somewhere, she simply gets up and goes. Company only slows her down. She then finds it weird to be spending time with someone, hanging out like this. It's not an experience she's terribly familiar with. She's not entirely comfortable.

But it's worth it, she thinks, to see Lux this way. Her eyes glow the way bonfires burn. Her cheeks flush a raw, vicious red. Her hair falls about her shoulders like a battered veil - fraying at the edges, and coming apart at the seams. She looks hungry. She looks feral. She looks like she's having the time of her life.

And Jinx is paralyzed. Need courses down her spine in rapid, untempered volts. She wants to keep Lux this way. She wants to keep Lux in this fit of dancing and jumping. She wants to keep Lux in this frenzy, punching the air and banging her head. She wants to keep Lux in this half mad euphoria, with lips stretched open, eyes fever bright, and trembling all over.

Jinx draws a sharp breath, air hissing through her teeth.

She wants to keep Lux.

She finds this thought terrifying.


	30. Ethereal

ETHEREAL

_celestial, unworldly, immaterial_

This shouldn't be romantic.

The concert just ended. They're standing at the mouth of an alley. The stench of raw sewage and rotting leftovers suffocate them. They're grimy and sweaty and reek of smoke. Jinx is leaning against a brick wall. The street light flickers above her, a buzzing, flourescent halo. Shadows highlight the curve of her cheeks, the slope of her nose, the line of her lips raised slightly, just so slightly. She looks at Lux with half lidded eyes, and smirks.

Lux thinks of momentum and inertia. She thinks of sharp turns and screeching tires. She thinks of tailspins, of whiplash, of adrenaline coursing thick and fast through bloated veins. Jinx parts her lips as if to speak. But Lux can only hear the clenching of her heart like a fist lodged in her chest.

It's not romantic. It's terrifying.

It's the way light barely reaches Jinx. It's the way shadows define her. It's how she's caught at the edge of seen and unseen, the way endings slowly fade to black. And Lux is seized with an all consuming fear. She becomes painfully aware of time, of seconds, of breaths too fast to count. She is convinced that Jinx is disappearing, that Jinx isn't real, that if she looks away - if she so much as blinks - Jinx will be gone. Time is running out and she only has one chance.

Lux seizes Jinx's shoulders and draws her close. Those lips, still parted, she meets with hers, swallowing the last spoken syllables. She thinks, no. Don't go. Come back. Stay. Stay. Stay. Here. With me.

"Please." Lux murmurs, pulling away.

Jinx smirks and doesn't say a word. The one time she should, the one time Lux wants her to, she is silent. She only leans in, claiming another kiss. Lux closes her eyes. Her nails dig raw marks into Jinx's skin. She holds on.

It's not a promise. But it's enough.

It's enough, she tells herself.

It has to be.


	31. Ephemeral

EPHEMERAL  
_fleeting_

"I was hoping to fuck you and get you out of my system."

They're lying in bed. Well, Jinx is lying down. Lux is sitting up. Her back is to the wall, a frown worrying her lips. She hugs her knees. They're both stark naked.

It's the morning after the Pentakill concert. They're in Jinx's apartment. The sun hasn't risen yet. Only the streetlamp provides light, the faintly green glow spilling through the blinds. There's not a sound to be heard, no drunken shouting, no skittering rats, no midnight ladies offering their services. All is still.

Jinx lies face down on the mattress. Lux studies her, keen eyes tracing the colorful tattoos and the arch of her shoulders. Here, where the neck slopes down, where the skull meets spine, Lux could hit her here. She has the training. It would be easy. And it's not like anyone would miss her. Except, that isn't true, is it?

Jinx croaks out a laugh. Her voice is muffled by the pillow.

"Well, that backfired spectacularly."

Lux allows a faint smile to curl her lips. She closes her eyes.

No, she thinks. That hasn't been true for a very long time.


	32. Cinammon

CINAMMON  
_an aromatic spice; its soft brown color_

"You... bake?"

"I find it therapeutic." Jinx sniffs, adopting an injured pose. "And I find it very insulting that you doubt my culinary skills."

Lux snorts, crossing her arms. "You just don't look the type."

"And you don't look like a sleeper agent." Jinx grins, wrinkling her nose and baring her teeth. "But we both know where you've been. What you've done."

Lux starts, then huffs, looking away. "Low blow." Walking over to the counter crowded with a myriad of ingredients, Lux toys with a jar of cinammon. "You know, if this is so therapeutic, why not do this instead of, like, killing people. You could get a job with Morg."

"Just because I find it soothing doesn't mean I wanna do it all the time. Baking gets me calm. Shooting people gets me happy." Jinx throws a glance over her shoulder that can only be described as 'Duh'.

Lux breathes in, slow and deep. "Right. Of course. Why'd I bother asking."

Jinx snorts. "Dunno. For a genius, you're not very smart."

"I resent that."

Reaching over, Jinx plucks the jar out of Lux's hands. "Sugar cookies fine by you?"

"Do I really get a say in this?" Lux asks, watching her madly whisk the batter.

Jinx laughs. "Now you're getting it!"


	33. Amorphous

AMORPHOUS  
_indefinite, shapeless_

Light has structure. Light has shape. Light has atoms, moving in perfectly predictable equations. Lux has long mastered the science to light, figured out all its answers and solved for every variable. She can calculate the speed at which light reflects from Jinx's smile. But she soon learns that predicting Jinx is a whole other problem. A frequently changing algorithm where the constant is her inconsistency, and even then, she surprises her. Jinx is the antithesis to everything Lux has worked for. She isn't measurable. She has no discipline. She is all that isn't order and peace. She is a riddle wrapped in an enigma. And Lux surprises herself by not wanting the answer.


	34. Cascade

CASCADE  
_steep waterfall_

The problem with Jinx, one of them at least, is that she never actually stops. She does everything with a single minded fervor and tenacity that both frightens and awes. She is consumed by her passions. Her thoughts, her ideas rapidly fire through her synapses, riddling her consciousness and never leaving her alone.

"Ever." She told Lux once.

It is the early hours of the morning when no one sane is awake. They are in Jinx's apartment, in the mess that is a living room buried under dirty clothes, candy wrappers, wrenches, screwdrivers, and pages and pages of increasingly complex designs. Jinx is frantically scribbling on her walls, having run out of paper ages ago. Lux studies the string of figures slowly making its way to the floor. She takes a step closer, resting her finger on a particular number.

"You're overestimating. If you changed the exponent to 4, instead of 6, you'd get more accurate results."

Jinx pauses in her frenzy and looks up. The dead-like stillness she acquires is in stark and disturbing contrast to her earlier unceasing motions. She stares at Lux as if she can't quite figure out where Lux belonged on the equation, an unaccounted for variable that she missed. Then she breaks out a grin that redefines wild.

"Oh my god! You're right! Thanks, Flashlight. You just saved me a whole night's worth of work."

"So you're going to sleep soon?"

"What? No. Now, I can move on to other things. Like modifying the blast radius of my rockets."

Lux sighs, bemused in spite of herself. "I'll go make coffee then."

"You're staying up with me?"

"And leave you alone? You'd eat yourself alive."

Jinx smiles then, a soft, shy curl of her lips where her eyes crease in the corners. The sheer wonder and gratitude of her expression shouldn't affect Lux so much, except for the absolute novelty of seeing Jinx look something other than sharply hazardous. Lux swallows loudly.

"Besides, I saw at least 2 errors in your last computation."

"No! Where!"

As Jinx whips around, Lux ducks into the kitchen. She thinks of numbers, the stream of figures. She thinks of streams, coursing, winding over cliffs. She thinks of edges, of tumbling, of falling. Maybe because she is, slowly and quietly falling.


	35. Enchanted

ENCHANTED  
_charmed_

"Hey, hey! You, you! I don't like your boyfriend! No way, no way! I think you need a new one! Hey, hey! You, you! I can be your girlfriend!"

Lux starts, sitting up in bed. She rubs her bleary eyes and slide open her window. Still half asleep, she sticks her head out, squinting at the sight below. Jinx grins up at her, holding up a boombox.

"Hey, hey! You, you! I know that you like me! No way! No way! You know it's not a secret! Hey, hey! You, you! I could be your girlfriend!"

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Serenading you, duh? What's it look like?"

"It looks like trespassing into private property."

"Tch, yeah! Don't you know how serenading works?"

Lux rolls her eyes, crossing her arms. She's wide and fully awake now.

"It's the middle of the night! You're going to wake up the whole house!"

"Nu-uh! Garen's stuck at the Institute and your Ma's on a diplomatic trip. You're all by yourself." Jinx smiles brilliantly then. "So, I thought I'd keep you company."

Lux blinks. She stares blankly at Jinx before huffing out a laugh. She shakes her head. Of course Jinx would know that. She leans her elbows on the windowsill.

"What made you think I like pop music anyways?"

Jinx lowers her boombox. "You mean you don't? I thought you were all about the dancey, perky music."

"A cute girl like me? Please, everyone knows I'm into heavy metal."

"Huh. Well, can I still finish my song?" Jinx asks, so plaintively and earnestly.

Lux is a sucker for the way Jinx's eyes get so big. And Jinx knows, judging by her smirk when Lux inevitably capitulates. Just as she had before and, she's starting to realize, just as she later will, again and again.

"Can I stop you?"

"Nope!"

Lux snorts then gestures for Jinx to go ahead. The smile Jinx gives her could rival her Final Spark. And just like that, Lux falls a little more, a little further, for this mad, strange, vibrant girl.


	36. Lassitude

LASSITUDE  
_fatigue_

It had been a long and trying day. Lux had not one, not two, but three scrims with low level summoners. It was apparently amateur hour on the Rift today. The Flashes, the Ignites, the Teleports, and Heals were always mistimed or misdirected if the spells were used at all. She had one memorable session where her summoner decided to run Clarity and Clairvoyance. But that's what scrims are for - failing, experimenting, learning. It prepares the summoner and the champion for the matches of actual importance.

Still, it didn't make acclimating to a new summoner any easier - Lux groans, straightening her aching back - or any less painful. She's standing before her quarters, eager - to the point of salivating - for some rest. She hurriedly unlocks her door only to find her bed already occupied. Jinx lies fast asleep, looking perfectly snug and relaxed. Lux feels a weight settle in her chest, a fullness between her ribs like a swollen fist. She swears - to the high courts of Justice - it's only symptomatic of her exhaustion. And it wasn't - at all - a sign of affection for the freeloading wastrel. Not. At. All. She is simply tired. So terribly tired, in fact, that she does not even try to kick Jinx out. It would take too much energy that she did not have. That's all. Really.

"Don't hog the covers," she murmurs drowsily, climbing into the bed.

With her back facing Jinx, Lux doesn't see the small, secret smile form on Jinx's lips. And if Lux slept particularly well that night, if she took any special comfort from the warmth at her side, then that's for her to know and no one to find out.


	37. Elision

ELISION_  
omission_

They're not hiding. They're not sneaking around. They just don't tell anyone. Jinx isn't the type to share personal stories. She talks a lot but she never actually says anything. Most people only know her as the crazy lady who shoots stuff. She prefers it that way. As for Lux, well, she isn't that open either. She tricks people into thinking they know her, but not many really do. Her family definitely doesn't.

Jinx does. Jinx knows her. Sometimes, Lux thinks, Jinx knows her better than she knows herself. Jinx is an exception that way. Jinx is different that way. Jinx is a secret Lux will never tell. It's not for any political reasons. She's just a very selfish girl.

She doesn't talk about tracing Jinx's neck, or mapping the calluses of her palms. She doesn't talk about memorizing the rhythm of her pulse or calculating the exact curve of her spine. She doesn't talk about the hours spent, huddled by the desk, when Jinx's mind swallows her whole. She doesn't talk about the moments when, shaking and crying, Jinx holds her - just holds her. As if Lux won't shatter that way, as if Jinx can keep her together, as if two broken halves can make a whole. It won't. They try anyways. Because the dictionary definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different outcome.

And Jinx was never sane. Lux learns maybe she isn't either. She can't be to want this, to want her. Except she does. So she never tells. These moments, alone, in the dark, are hers and hers only. She's never been good at sharing.


	38. Evanescent

EVANESCENT  
_fleeting_

"She'll get bored, you know?"

Lux says nothing, only shuffles past.

"She'll get bored of you."

Lux suppresses a flinch, ignoring the heated stare.

"Then she'll leave."

Lux pauses then. They stand just outside her quarters. The hallway rings silent and empty around them. Lux is alone, with Vi.

In retrospect, she should have seen this coming. Everyone knew about Jinx, about Vi, about Jinx and Vi. The bank incident was the headline for a solid week, even in Demacia. All the newspapers, the tabloids, even the gossip rags followed their succeeding encounters. People love a good disaster.

Lux wets her lips, swallowing. She has a hand on the door knob, a key in her other fist. She can walk away. She just needs to turn the lock, just turn the lock, just turn... around. She turns around. She faces Vi, meeting that heated stare.

"I know." Lux says. Because she does. She knows. She and Jinx were never permanent. It's Jinx.

It's absurd, befuddling, illogical Jinx. She doesn't keep track of time. She barely remembers to eat. She has the attention span of a gnat. She runs around her flat, half naked, because inspiration struck while she was pissing and she absolutely must find a pen. She's a mess.

No. Lux never expected _commitment_ from _Jinx_.

Vi snorts, shaking her head. "See, you're not - you're not listening."

"I am! I am listening!" Lux replies, hotly.

"No, no, no. She'll get bored of you." Vi repeats, uncrossing her arms and leaning forward. "She'll get bored of you and then, she'll toss you away. Like you're trash. Like you're dirt. Like you're nothing. Because you are. To her, you don't matter. Do you understand? She's going to leave you."

Lux presses her lips to a thin, white line. She holds Vi's gaze for a brief second before looking away. There is an intensity there, in those eyes, something heavy and piercing. She feels exposed, flayed open and stripped to the bone. She looks away. She has to. But Vi won't let her.

Fingers find her chin and sharply lifts her head.

"You're gonna get hurt." Vi tells her.

She doesn't say, "You will want her to stay." She doesn't say, "You will want her to love you." She doesn't say, "You will want her." Because Jinx can't keep time. Because Jinx forgets to bathe. Because Jinx won't remember your birthday or to buy milk but she'll know exactly when you reach the end of your rope. And she'll tell you, "Let go." Not hang on. Not it will get better. She'll tell you, "Let go." And you will.

Because Jinx is a mess. A disaster. And god. People love a good disaster.

Vi knows, but she says nothing. Lux can't tell if she hates or loves her for it.

"Do you get it now?" Vi asks. You will want her to stay. She will leave and never look back.

Lux closes her eyes and pulls away. She returns her attention to the locked door. With a flick of her wrist, she opens it. She doesn't walk in.

There's a moment of pure stillness. Neither move. Neither speak. Vi stares at Lux, studying her intently. Lux fixes her eyes forward, looking at nothing in particular.

Then she clears her throat. "I know."

"I don't think you do."

Lux keeps her gaze straight, refusing to make eye contact. "I'm not saying I'm... prepared. There's really no way I can be."

"You don't have to get hurt."

"Yes, but..." Lux faces Vi, a small, sad smile on her lips. "Then I will never have Jinx. And I do want her, that is. I want to stay with her, for as long as she lets me."

"That's dumb."

Lux grins at that, bright and sincere. "I know. But I'm so tired of being smart."


	39. Encompass

ENCOMPASS  
_surround_

Lux thinks about Jinx often. She doesn't know when it started or how. But she'll be walking down the street, see something like a toy or a machine part, and think man, Jinx would love that. It's even worse when she looks at people, like specifically couples. Those moments are the worst because she'll spot a couple, sitting at a cafe, sharing dessert, and the sheer want that fills her is both staggering and terrifying.

She'll run home then, lock herself in her room. But there's no escape. A strand of blue hair will be sitting on her pillow. A neon colored sock will turn up under her bed. There was a memorable time when she opened her favorite book to find "Jinx was here" scribbled all over it. At that point, Lux just threw her head back and laughed till she couldn't breathe. Then she went right on ahead and re-read the book, again and again. She'll thumb over the doodles, the strike outs, the comments on the margins, the parts where Jinx outright re-wrote the text. Lux gives her credit because sometimes it's an improvement. And she kept that book on her nightstand, to be the first thing she sees in the morning and the last thing she sees before going to sleep.

She lies, of course, when she says she doesn't know how it started. Lux knows. Lux knows very well the hows, the whys, and the wherefores. She won't admit it. She'll lie to herself, distract herself, outright slapping herself to avoid it. Not out of fear but some twisted sense of self preservation, an instict telling her doom lies that way. Except she's never been afraid of death or danger. She just doesn't want this, them, whatever they are, to end. So, she'll pick up the sock, toss out the hair, and think of no one, no one at all.


	40. Languid

LANGUID  
_slow, listless _

Jinx used to take things. Jinx used to take lots of things. Pills, mostly. Powders. Drinks, sometimes. But never needles. No, no. Never again needles. So, pills. She liked to get high. It made the thinky-think thoughts stop think-think-thinking. It was nice. Everything got all quiet, and floaty, and slow.

She almost overdosed once. She woke up sometime later in someone else's bed. That's how she met Zac. He had found her passed out in a gutter. Twitch made a complaint, apparently. He figured she was dead and her corpse would back up the sewage for miles. It wasn't good for business or whatever it was plague rats got up to. But she wasn't, in fact, dead and Twitch can go dunk his nose in antiseptic. When Zac swung by, a quick check up told him she was only passed out. He decided to take her home with him. Not in a creepy rapist sort of way, but because addicts had a tendency to disappear from hospitals and Zac is actually as soft as he looks - no matter what he says.

By the time she was coherent again, she was laid up all nice and pretty in the guest room. Zac's parents were the picture of kindness and hospitality, always asking if she was okay, if she needed anything - really, anything at all. It freaked her out. They invited her to a sit down sort of supper, with smiles and - and pleasant conversation! But she was having none of that. She booked after the table was set.

Ever since, Jinx put a stop to her pills and her powders and her drinks. She dropped it all cold turkey. It was the worst fucking idea she ever had. But it wasn't because of Zac, or the close call, or anything like that. She wasn't scared of overdosing. She's always been on that knife's edge short of suicidal.

It was just, after everything before, after the white rooms and the clipboards and the tests, Jinx swore never to lose control. She hated blacking out and waking up to learn things were done to her when she had no idea. She hated wanting the stuff, hated feeling like she needed a fix every single day, hated needing. She wasn't gonna be a user and she wasn't gonna be used. No, no, no, no, no, no. So, she quit. Just like that. Well, of course, not just like that. She wants sometimes.

She wants when the thinky-think thoughts come back. She wants when Graves walks by and the scent of tobacco gets her dizzy. She wants when the walls start closing in, when her stomach threatens to climb up her throat, when she can't breathe - holy fucking shit, she cannot breathe.

She stops wanting around Lux. When she's with Lux, she gets the same sort of quiet, floaty, slow feeling, like she got high. Except, there's no pills or powders or needles. Just Lux.

And now, she wants Lux.

Jinx swallows, watching the famed Lady of Luminosity dance about the Rift. She can feel sweat in the creases of her palms, a chill ghosting over the back of her neck. Jinx grits her teeth, curling her fingers into fists.

She wants.


	41. Coalesce

COALESCE  
unite, or fuse

Another explosive, Lux guesses, maybe a rocket, possibly a gun, a weapon of mass destruction, definitely. All the better to kill people with, she thinks wryly.

It's long past the witching hour. Surely even Vayne has gone to bed. And yet, here Lux sits, perched on the dilipidated couch, watching the hunched form of Jinx scribble away. She's at her desk at least, with a proper pad of paper and a pen. It's not like last time - thank god - when Lux woke to find Jinx writing on the walls with her bleeding thumb. I ran out of ink, she said. There was no paper, she said.

Lux grimaces at the memory. Ever since then, she kept Jinx well supplied with the required materials. In hindsight, it was probably not the best of ideas. She was enabling an infamous mass murderer to invent bigger, badder weapons. But, that's not a first either, she thinks bitterly, remembering her days as a spell thief. And it's not as if she really thought depriving Jinx of stationary could stop her. It's Jinx. Lux would have better luck stopping the sun from rising.

There was no denying Jinx's intellect. Her creative prowess was only matched by Lulu and her engineering skill tied with Vi's. She was capable of producing a new blueprint every week, every day if she was particularly inspired. Yet it was all for the service of her personal entertainment - death and destruction for shits and giggles. A true pity, Lux muses, tracing the curve of Jinx's shoulders. Such brilliance could have better use and she can't help but wonder.

"Why do you make weapons?"

"Uh, for fun, duh."

"Yes, but can't you... make something else? Invent something less... destructive?"

Jinx starts. The soft scratching of her pen stops. She turns in her seat, facing Lux.

"Are you asking me why I don't use my powers for good?"

"...I suppose so."

There's a moment of complete, absolute stillness. Then a mad grin cracks open Jinx's face as she laughs, loud and breathless. She goes so far as to slap her knee.

"Oh, Flashlight, are you trying to turn me good? Wave your little baton and magick the monster into a maiden?"

"Well, why not?" Lux snaps, hackles rising. "You can do so much good, you know. You're so smart and you're so inventive. Look at all this!" She waves her hand at the equations etched on the walls, the designs plastered on posters. "You could help people! You could save them from harm and not, you know, cause it?"

Jinx lets Lux finish her tirade with a look of bemusement, as if she was only humoring the crazy lady. She straddles the seat and rests her chin on her palm, allowing silence to settle before speaking.

"Do you have a hero complex? Is that it?"

"What?"

"Thanks for the compliments though. Nice to know my genius does not go unnoticed. But here's the deal, Flashlight." Jinx rocks forward then, almost to the point of tipping over. "I don't wanna be good."

"I don't understand."

"I noticed. But it's simple really. I don't care that I kill people. En masse. On a regular basis. It's fun. I'm having fun. That's all that matters to me. I like who I am, Flashlight. I am finally the person I can live with myself to be. And I will fight you aaaaaaaaall the way down before you take that from me. Do you get it now?" Jinx grins, something small and tight and broken about the edges. "I'm not the kind of person you save. I'm the kind of person you stop."

"Is that who you want me to be then?" Lux whispers, looking right at Jinx. "Do you want me to stop you?"

There's a pause, a moment like a held breath. They stare at each other, Jinx in her chair - about to fall over, and Lux on the couch - bright eyes wide open. Lux sees Jinx, sees the hollow of her throat, the thinness of her wrists, the scars about her arms like the aftermath of needles.

Then, all too soon, Jinx breaks out giggling. She giggles high strung and hysterical. Straightening her seat, she turns around and pointedly breaks eye contact.

"Oh, Flashlight. You're so smart. So very, very smart. It's what I like about you."


	42. Serene

SERENE  
_peaceful_

Lux doesn't know what wakes her up. It's not the sunlight, not with the curtains drawn. Also, her life is not _that_ thematic, thank you very much. Whatever it was, she's awake, at 6:15 a.m., on Saturday. She groans, squeezing her eyes shut and willing herself to sleep. But sleep is a fickle mistress and does not come when called. Lux sighs, succumbing fully to consciousness.

She stares at the ceiling for a good couple minutes. Like every other flat surface in Jinx's apartment, it is plastered completely with designs, calculations, and the occasional scientific breakthrough. Lux idly wonders if it is her duty, as a proponent of the Sciences, to share Jinx's findings with the world. It's not as if intellectual copyrights, plagiarism, or patents interest Jinx in the least. If Lux didn't share her findings, these life changing discoveries will sit unknown and unused. It is practically criminal of Lux not to be hand delivering this information to the great academies of Piltover.

A few more minutes pass. Lux yawns, continuing to lie in bed. Tomorrow, she thinks. She can hand deliver the information tomorrow, or next week, or next month. It doesn't have to be soon. There's no rush. Right now, all she wants to do… is nothing. Absolutely nothing. Science will just have to wait.

Her stomach grumbles. She snorts. Breakfast, on the other hand, must be attended to post haste. Lux sits up, throws off the covers, and moves to get out of bed. It catches up to her then.

Two slim fingers curl around her pinkie. It's the softest, slightest touch. Lux pauses and looks over her shoulder. Jinx lies next to her, still fast asleep. It catches up to her then.

Lux feels it surge in her breast the way waves crash against the shore. Her very blood turns into a half mad ocean, with swirling storms and howling gales. It is a pure, earthly force and she can no more fight it than she can the rising tide. It is inevitable. It is unavoidable. It is the little things.

Jinx gives her these moments, these tiny, fleeting moments filled with nothing. They can settle down on the couch or the floor or the bed, and simply breathe. It's these moments when Jinx is so still, so quiet, so unlike everything she is with everyone else. She will do things like reach for Lux, clinging to her pinkie so gently.

It reminds Lux of how to be gentle. It reminds Lux that she can still be gentle. That all the training, the fighting, the bleeding has not robbed her of this, a capacity to be soft, to be human.

And Lux can't deny it anymore. Lux can't hide from it anymore.


	43. Suffuse

SUFFUSE

_flushed, full _

"I'M IN LOVE WITH JINX!" Lux shouts, bursting into the room.

Ezreal blinks at her, before turning back to his book. "Ever heard of knocking?"

"Didn't you hear me?"

"I heard you not knocking."

"I said I'm in love with Jinx!"

"And I have a door. It's right there. You charged right past it."

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeez," Lux cries out despairingly, throwing herself on the bed.

"Luuuuuuuuuuuux," Ezreal replies mockingly.

"How could this happen to me?" Lux groans into the mattress. "I've made my mistakes."

Ezreal flips a page. "Are you gonna sing?"

"No. Maybe. Shut up. I can sing if I want to."

"You can dance if you want to. You can leave your friends behind."

Lux snorts, lifting her head to look at Ezreal. "What are we doing?"

Ezreal smiles at her. "Well, you're having a panic attack, and I'm reading."

"You're not panicking. Why aren't you panicking? I just admitted to falling for a known murderer! You should at least be a little anxious!"

"Lux, I already knew. Everyone already knew."

"Everyone?"

"You're not exactly subtle in love."

"Oh my god!"

"And I did panic, remember? We had that talk. You said Jinx made you happy. That's when I really knew." Ezreal tilts his head. "Didn't Caitlyn talk to you about this?"

"Yeah…" Lux bites her lip, turning over and sitting up. "But I thought it was, you know, about fooling around. Dating. Not…"

"Not love?"

Lux fists her hands in her hair. "How did I not realize?"

Ezreal snorts. "Lux, I love you. But you can be one stubborn bitch. If you said you weren't in love, you were gonna believe that till your dying day."

Lux squeezes her eyes shut, falls back, and splays out her arms. She falls silent, lying very still. Then, opening her eyes, she sighs. "I was scared."

Ezreal studies her carefully, putting his book away. "Of Jinx?"

"You always think the worst of her."

"And you think the best."

"Yeah…" Lux breathes. "I wasn't scared of Jinx. I was scared of this - this feeling. It's so different, nothing like the way I love you."

"Huh."

"Yeah. With you, it's like… coming home. You're my backbone, the shoulder I lean on, the hand helping me up."

Ezreal says nothing, only crawls over to Lux and lies down beside her.

"But, Jinx…" Lux continues. "Being with her is like jumping off a cliff or getting doused with cold water. She's my breath of fresh air, you know? Almost like getting tazed, in a good way."

"There's a good way to get tazed?"

Lux shoots Ezreal a look, before giggling helplessly. "What is this? I feel like running! I feel like curling up in a corner!"

"That's love alright."

"I feel like singing!"

"Go ahead."

"Crawling in my skiiiiiiiin!"

"That… was not the song I was expecting."

"These wooooooooouuuunds, they wiiiiiiill not heeeeeeaaaaaal!"

"Would you relax?" Ezreal grabs a pillow and thumps Lux soundly. "You're in love! Not dying!"

"Says you! My skin is flushed! My heart is racing!"

"Pffft. Wow. You really got it bad."

"Shut up," Lux grabs Ezreal's pillow and then hits him with it.

Ezreal only chuckles in response.

They lay there, quiet and still if only for a moment.

Then Lux speaks. "You know I still love you… Right, Ez? This, me and Jinx, this doesn't change anything about us, does it?"

Ezreal huffs out a quiet laugh. "I may not like the people you fall for. But that doesn't mean I love you any less." He settles his arms under his head. "Besides, we agreeed. We were always going to be an open relationship."

Lux smiles at him fondly, sitting up. She drops a gentle kiss on his lips. There's a soft, wet sound as they separate. She continues to study him, contentment resting easy in the corner of her eyes. Then, her look turns mischievious as she smirks slyly.

"So, we're in an open relationship, right?" She asks, with a half-lidded gaze.

Ezreal swallows. "Uh, yeah?"

"Does that mean the rumors between you and you-know-who are true?"

"Ugh, Lux!"

Ezreal grabs a nearby blanket and covers himself with it. But it's too late. Lux saw the way his cheeks reddened so prettily. She laughs and playfully tugs the blanket off him.

"No, Eeeeeeeez," she half whines. "I told you about my love life! You have to tell me yours! C'moooooon!"

"I don't have to do nothing!"

"Double negative! That means you do have to do something!"

"You can't make me!"

"Wanna bet?" With a positively wicked smile, Lux starts tickling Ezreal's all too sensitive sides.

He squirms, laughing madly. "Oh, it's gonna be like that, huh?"

Roaring a loud, battle cry, he pulls her down onto the bed, setting his fingers on her ticklish neck.

"Nooooooo!" Lux squeals, but refuses to cease her own attack.

They collapse like that, giggling and laughing in each other's arms.


	44. Mist

MIST

_cloudy moisture, or similar literal or virtual obstacle _

Lux has no gift of second sight. There was a distant uncle but they were only related via marriage and not by blood. To her, the future is shrouded and murky, a yawning void filled with everything she doesn't know. But what she lacked in extraordinary abilities, she made up with unparalleled intelligence, intuition, and lots and lots of common sense. She couldn't predict what will happen next, but she could damn well guess.

And the thing is, she's good at it. She's good at figuring out where people will go or what people will do. She's good at taking scenarios apart, pinpointing how or why something will happen. She's good at puzzles and connecting the dots, sees all the ways the pieces fit together - pieces nobody else would think to match. But she does, she sees. She's so good at thinking, that most of the time she can't stop. She can only know people as data points, as lines of code, as height, weight, eye color, hair color, IQ level, and power level. It's exhausting.

But she can't afford to stop either. She can't let her guard down, can't zone out for even a minute. She knows the moment she stops thinking is the moment she dies. She doesn't want to die. She ignores the little whispers in her head saying she's not living either. All she can do is smile and watch and think - calculate - guess.

Then Jinx traipses in. She dances through her defenses like it was nothing. It was nothing to see through her facades, to see right into the very core of her. Jinx came into her life with an offered hand, an open window, and a void filled with everything she doesn't know, will never know.

And Lux is tired. She's tired of clarity. She's tired of sharp, delineating light. She's tired of seeing. What else could she do? Honest to gods above. What else could she do but take Jinx's hand, and close her eyes. Let the world fall into blurry figures, shrouded shapes, and murky outlines. She's done thinking.


	45. Somnolent

SOMNOLENT  
_drowsy, sleep inducing_

If asked, Lux would say she's a morning person. It's partly due to her military training and partly due to her inherent proclivities. She loves sunrise for the same reason she loves sunset. It's watching the sky change colors. It's the stillness of the streets. It's the way everything seems so far away, all her problems, all her duties, all that she is. And she can just… breathe.

But 1 A.M. is not morning. Yes, okay, for all technical purposes, it may be quantified as morning. But 1 A.M. is not morning in the same way 1 P.M. is not evening but afternoon. And Lux couldn't think of a damn reason not to call 1 A.M. afternight. It would suit the hour perfectly.

She's idly thinking of ways to properly coin the term afternight, when a shout interrupts her thoughts. Lux looks up. Jinx is bent over her desk, muttering loudly. Lux shakes her head. She's no night owl. She has no love for the early hours of the afternight. She prefers a bedtime of at least 9 P.M. She would happily be asleep by now, if it wasn't for Jinx.

Lux sighs. She must be some sort of masochist, willingly depriving herself of rest. But Jinx, with her invitations to concerts and long drives and pillow forts, Lux is powerless to resist. Sometimes, and with growing frequency, Jinx doesn't even invite her. Lux just comes over. She's bored, she'll say. She was in the neighborhood, she'll say. She totally has better excuses, she'll say. And Jinx laughs, telling her "If you're here for a booty call, just say so!" Then whatever (false) protests Lux may have is swallowed down by Jinx and her eager mouth.

They spend the evening together. They watch a movie or they go out or they fuck. It varies. Then, the early afternight has Jinx slipping out of bed. Her manic mind drives her to scribble till the wee hours of dawn. Lux simply can't leave her be. She's afraid Jinx will hurt herself in these moments of intense inspiration. And, well, Lux doesn't want to see her hurt. It's really as simple as that, except for all the ways it's not. And Lux ends up staying awake till 1 - 2 - 3 A.M., watching Jinx work.

Rising to her feet, Lux pads over to Jinx. She's still muttering, frantically scribbling out calculations. Lux squints at the blueprint. It appears to be some kind of bomb, another terrifying weapon. She sighs, heading to the kitchen. She figures it's going to be a long night. Some tea could only help.


	46. Murmur

MURMUR  
_soothing sound _

" **E** = mc 2 motherfucking Ekko holy shit fuck dude motherfucking Z-Drive bullshit god can you fucking believe this shit?"

"Yes, Jinx. You're overcompensating here."

"Goddamn created Z-Drive and fucking Chronobreak and shit right fucking Timewinder goddamn reversing polarity fuck yo shit I can't even fucking believe this shit have you seen this shit fuck I just watched this shit fuck Ekko man."

"If you say so, Jinx. Adjust your equation by a factor of six."

"Motherfucking shattered seconds welcome to Zaun fuck welcome to Zaun motherfucking build shit with his bare hands fucking best friend shit Ekko."

"Okay, Jinx… If you say so."

"Shit man you have to be so interested in the shit I have to say about the Z-Drive fuck dude he just invented it a year and a half ago fuck Ekko man but what about the quantum mechanics guy fucking wheelchair bullshit that black hole motherfucker."

"Jinx, Jinx, calm down. Breathe, come on. In, and out. Please. Breathe."

"I'm just saying fuck that wheelchair guy how do we know man does Ekko know would he know black hole something."

"Black hole thermodynamics?"

"… Oh my god! That's it! That's totally it! You're so smart. So, so smart. And pretty. And perfect. Oh my god."

"Yes, yes, thank you. Now breathe, for me?"

Jinx takes her first full breath since she stopped writing and started ranting. Lux had been worried there for a second. She thought it was a full blown panic attack. But no, it just looks like the lack of sleep is finally catching up to Jinx. Her eyes start to droop and she slowly slumps forward. She almost slips clean off her seat but Lux is quick to catch her, holding Jinx in her arms.

Shaking her head, Lux adjusts her grip and hauls Jinx up. She carries her all the way to the room where she slowly eases her down on the bed. Laying Jinx's head on a pillow, Lux sighs, studying her face. Her usual facial contortions smooth out in her sleep. She looks painfully young, younger than she could possibly be. Rumor has it that she's older than Vi. But seeing her now, Lux would never think so. She almost appears… harmless, like this, all tuckered out and still.

But as if Jinx exists simply to prove Lux wrong, her eyes fly open. She sits up so suddenly it nearly startles Lux into casting a prismatic barrier.

"STEPHEN HAWKING!" She screams before her eyes roll back and she falls in a dead faint. The mattress springs creak in protest. Then, silence. The stillness returns, sharply contrasting the abrupt movements a mere second ago.

Lux waits, watching Jinx for a minute, making sure she's really, finally asleep. Then Lux laughs, brushing Jinx's bangs from her face. She leans down and presses a light kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, my little pyscho," she whispers.


	47. Filament

FILAMENT  
_thread, strand_

Lux snores. It's hard to believe the Lady of Luminosity doing something so undignified as snoring. But she does. She also can't carry a tune to save her life. She might as well be deaf for all the use her ears have. Not that it stops her from singing on karaoke nights. That was another thing. Her idea of fun is a night at home, with a cup of tea, her favorite book, and a crackling fireplace. If she's feeling "adventurous", she hits up a club with Sona and Quinn. There's dancing and flirting and belly shots.

And it's like, come on! Belly shots? Please. In Jinx's humble opinion, it's gunshots or nothing. An evening spent without wanton property damage is an evening wasted.

But nope! Not Flashlight. She likes photography and manicures and curling up in armchairs with fuzzy socks. She alphabetizes her medicine cabinet. She irons her underwear. She recycles. Like actually. She has a waste management system and everything. She's total Snoozeville.

She's got a white-knight complex. She can't stand to be wrong. She follows orders and polishes her armor and says hello to people on the street. She's good, Jinx tells herself. She's good down to her blood cells and marrow. Light and order rest easy on her shoulders. She's too good, Jinx repeats.

But then, there are those mornings after, when Jinx crawls to consciousness - gummy eyed and sticky tongued - and Lux is there. She's there with her quiet hands and her careful voice as the scent of freshly brewed tea kisses the air.

And Jinx can list all the ways Lux is everything she hates. But she knows it's the thinest, flimsiest excuse. It's too late. She's not hanging on, not even by a thread. She's fallen, so completely and absolutely. And it scares her - senseless - how she can't remember letting go.

She's in trouble. Big, big, trouble.


	48. Radiant

RADIANT  
_glowing_

She feels dead. If the Kindred appeared at this very second, and shot her point blank in the face, she wouldn't even blink. Her bones feel heavy and liquid, like her entire skeletal structure was replaced with molasses. She can't think because her synapses were replaced with peach fuzz and mold. A small but determined knitting circle is using her optical nerves to make sweaters. And some douchebag is playing pop music too god damn loud. It's not even a good song!

Jinx groans, burying her head under the pillow. But it's no use. The melody is practically bleeding through her walls. She's a second from deciding to commit violent and bloody murder, when she hears the unmistakable sound of singing. She knows that voice, incapable of carrying a tune and always breaking horrifically at high notes. It's Lux. Lux is singing.

She sits up, sticking a pinkie into her ear and scraping away some earwax. She listens again. Yep. It's definitely Flashlight. Throwing off her covers, she leaps to her feet and steps out the door. The music is coming from the living room. Huh. Jinx didn't even know she had a stereo. Tiptoeing down the hallway, Jinx takes a look and finds Lux happily dancing around, a hairbrush held to her lips. She's only wearing an over sized t-shirt and a pair of panties. Her change of clothes left forgotten on the couch.

"I've got a," she sings, more sound than substance, "pair of eyes that they're getting lost in!" She strides across the floor, swaying her hips. "They're hypnotized by the way I'm walking!" She snaps her fingers and tiny sparks of light burst around her. "I've got them dazzled like a stage magician!" She points dramatically at the window. "When I point they look!" She flips her hair. "And when I talk they listen! Well!"

Jinx feels a grin spread across her lips, all exhaustion promptly forgotten. She joins in. "Everybody needs a friend!"

Lux starts, whipping around. She stops singing. She seems to stop breathing. She stares at Jinx, a mixture of embarrassment and confusion apparent on her face.

Jinx pays Lux no mind, continuing to sing. She makes a grand, sweeping gesture with her hand. "And I've got you, and you, and you!" She points to Lux, winking.

Lux colors a fantastic shade of red. A small, hesitant smile tugs at her lips.

"So many I can't even name them!" Jinx throws open her arms. "Can you blame me? I'm too famous!" She then hugs herself, spinning on her heel.

Lux cannot help but giggle. She then takes a deep breath, recovering her wits, before raising her psuedo-mic and singing again. "Haven't you noticed that I'm a star? I'm coming into view as the world is turning!"

She's still way off key and unable to harmonize with Jinx. Neither care, grinning broadly at each other.

Lux offers her hand. "Haven't you noticed I made it this far?" Jinx takes it. "Now, everyone can see me burning!" Lux pulls Jinx close and twirls her, causing Jinx to let out a startled yelp. "Now, everyone can see me burning!" Lux attempts to dip Jinx, but their legs tangle together. They end up falling to the floor in a messy heap. The stereo plays on. "Now, everyone can see me buuurn~ing!"

They stare blankly at each other, Lux straddling Jinx's hip. There's a moment of silence, the music ending, neither speaking. Then, Jinx snorts. A giggle bursts out of Lux's throat. They start to smile, laughter spilling from their lips in trickles, in steady streams, before gushing out uncontrollably.

It's like a goddamn movie, the way Lux throws her head back, the way her eyes squeeze shut, the way the sun chooses that exact second to shine. The light filters through the window, through the specks of dust, before settling in Lux's hair. And Jinx feels her breath stutter. She feels her throat dry. Her laughter dies with a tiny, choking noise.

Oh. Fuck.


	49. Felicity

FELICITY  
_happiness, pleasantness_

Jinx likes guns. Jinx likes rockets. Jinx likes the way Lux's eyes curl up in the corners. It's the ever shifting geography of her face - the peak of her nose, the valley of her brow. No, no, that wasn't right. Start over.

Jinx likes bullets. Jinx likes anarchy. Jinx likes when Lux stays up with her, when her rapid fire thoughts riddle her every second, when her every second lengthens to an hour, when everything gets too big and too vast but still too small, much too small - she can't breathe. But Lux is there. She brings her hot tea and corrects her equations and just sits. And waits. She waits till the sun rises, till the pen stops skittering, till all is quiet, so so so quiet again. Then she takes her hand, not tightly - no, never - and guides, not forces - never, _ever_ \- back to bed.

And Jinx likes the way Lux laughs, truly and sincerely laughs. It's not like on the Rift, where her every expression is calcuated to misinform and deflect interest. When Lux laughs, an honest to god laugh, it starts out small, like she's not really sure, like she's hiding, like she's shy. It starts at her shoulders then travels down her spine and settles in her gut before bubbling up and out of her throat. She laughs with her whole body, quivering and curling into herself, as if laughing takes everything she has, as if she'll never laugh again, as if she'll never stop. When Lux laughs and when she means it, she looks younger, years and years younger. She doesn't look like she's planning her next move or assessing threat levels or searching for possible escape routes. She looks like Lux, just Lux.

And Jinx loves…

No, no. That's definitely not right. Jinx doesn't. Jinx can't. She's not - !

Except she remembers the moments they spend alone, when Lux thinks no one's looking and her fingers trace the curve of Jinx's neck. It's such a small, quiet thing. But Jinx remember the exact pressure and heat of that touch. She remembers warmth unfolding from her clenching pulse, because it's such a thoughtless, throwaway gesture. It traipsed the line between reflex and instinct, an unconscious act lacking intent. And this was Lux - brilliant, wickedly sharp Lux with backup plans for her backup plans. She never does anything so carelessly. Except she does, when she's with Jinx.

And sitting on her bed, wiping the barrel of her rocket launcher, Jinx comes to a startling conclusion. She is happy. With Lux. Because of Lux.

But no, no, no. That's all wrong. Jinx isn't supposed to be happy. She's Jinx. She doesn't get to - She refuses to - She can't have nice things. Because she only, always, breaks them.


	50. Lullaby

LULLABY

_soothing song _

Lux has nightmares, sometimes. She makes these tiny, breathy noises, like a cross between a whine and a muffled scream. Like even in her sleep, she's not allowed to be loud, not allowed to be seen. Soft, quiet, hush. Jinx listens to her breathe, feels the hitches between each lungful like a sharp, pricking thing.

When Jinx has nightmares, her limbs lock and she lies very still. Then, without any warning, her eyes fly open. She does not move in the first few seconds after, but her eyes dart everywhere, assessing, cataloging. She tries to believe that the world around her is real, not a drug induced hallucination, not a hiding place in some dark corner of her mind, but real. Tangible. Here. Not there. She left. She left. She left. She still doesn't quite believe. She doesn't sleep often.

But Lux has a different breed of nightmares. She doesn't wake the way Jinx does. She shifts and she twitches, little, slight tremors in her brow, her lips. She looks strained, as if she's trying not to move. She's trying not to want. She's trying not to be. Docile, obedient, perfect. When Lux has nightmares, she's a woman of fire, of fight, of deeply ingrained discipline. She does not wake no matter how terrible the terrors. She will not let herself run. She will not let herself break. She will not let herself go.

And yet, Jinx thinks, humming a low, soft sound. And yet, here she lies, at her side, sleeping soundly - deeply - enough to dream. She lets herself trust in Jinx, the Loose Cannon with a body count in the hundreds, the terrorist scourge of Piltover, the no good street trash from Zaun. Next to Jinx, Lux lets herself sleep. She lets herself lie prone and fragile. She does not fear anything here.

Jinx hums louder, a tune now, a half forgotten song. It is a relic from a different life, when perhaps she was happy, when perhaps she was whole. She hums it now, smoothing away the creases of Lux's brow.

"It's not gonna end well," Jinx whispers. "This. Us. Don't fool yourself, Jinx. You don't have it in you to be gentle. You don't have it in you to stay."

Lux moans and shifts in her sleep, turning to face Jinx. Her expression is relaxed, free of any strain, any ache, any concern. She sighs happily, curling into Jinx's warmth.

Jinx swallows. "But maybe for a little while. Just a little while longer. Can I? Please? Can I?"


	51. Lilt

LILT

_cheerful or buoyant song or movement_

Jinx doesn't actually know what she's doing here. She's not really a clubbing sort of girl. Her favorite form of entertainment is demolishing cities which dancing can't really compare to. Also, there is a lot of people. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just, a lot. Jinx clutches her drink more tightly as another staggering, scantily dressed drunk bumps into her. And really, what was she doing here?

"Hey, Jinx! What are you doing all the way in the corner?" Lux asks, squeezing through the crowd.

Oh. That's right. Lux invited her. Jinx scowls. What the hell? When did she get invited to anything? And for that matter, when did she accept?

"Jinx?" Lux says, squinting at her. "Are you scared?"

"What?!" Jinx almost screeches. "No! What gave you that idea?"

Lux looks her up and down. She notes Jinx's defensive stance, her arms tucked tight against her body, the tension about her mouth. She raises a skeptical brow. Jinx scowls harder, resenting Lux and her keen perception. Then, a new song starts up, the neon strobe lights swinging into action. Jinx hears the first few chords of the melody and bares her teeth. She grabs Lux's arm and drags her to the dance floor.

"C'mon, Flashlight!" She yells gleefully, throwing her drink to the side. Her? Scared? Please.

"Hey, wait! Jinx! Slow down!"

Jinx charges into the crowd. Her hold on Lux absolutely does not tighten as a thick wall of bodies surround them.

"Jinx! Stop! I dropped my bracelet back there!"

Jinx turns, pulling Lux closer. Lux yelps and just about crashes into Jinx's chest.

"Oh, don't you dare look back," Jinx smirks. "Just keep your eyes on me."

Lux glances down at Jinx's hand still clutching her arm. She smiles knowingly. "You're holding back."

"Shut up," Jinx growls, flushing. "And dance with me!"


	52. Melliflous

_smooth, sweet_

"Flashliiiiiiiiight," Jinx whines, rolling around on the bed. "I'm too hooooot."

"Hot damn," Lux answers blandly.

"Nooooooo!" Jinx kicks her feet, pounding her fists against the mattress. "I meeeeeeaaaaan, I'm too hooooooooooooooooot! Don't you have an air conditioner?"

"A what?" Lux flips a page of her magazine.

"Augh! God! Why is Demacia such a backwater city?"

"Excuse you? Backwater?"

"You're not up to date with modern technology. It's obscene!"

"We just haven't gotten the latest shipments from Piltover. There was trouble along the usual trade routes. Bandits, I heard."

"Booooooo! Stupid bandits! Stupid trade routes!"

"Look, if you hate it so much, why don't you go back to Zaun?"

"Because it's boring in Zaun! You're not there!"

Lux snorts and absolutely does not blush.

"C'moooooooooon, Flashlight! I'm dying here! Isn't there anything you can do?"

"Well… I suppose there is this one place…"

"Let's go!" Jinx sits up.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Don't care," Jinx grunts, shoving on her boots. "It could be a torture chamber for all the fucks I give. Better than here at least."

"You think so highly of my house," Lux rolls her eyes. "I'm flattered, really."

"Quit yer bellyaching, and let's go already!" Jinx huffs, already halfway out the door.

"Yes, dear," Lux replies sarcastically, a fond smile flitting across her lips.

Lux takes them to a little mom-and-pop gelato shoppe. It's fairly unknown, not ritzy enough to draw the patronage of nearby estates. But it was popular with the household staff. Maids butlers, valets were often seen enjoying a scoop or two. Sometimes, they even bring their family. Today, the heat has brought all of them and then some. Lux spies a couple of nannies, with their esteemed charges, waiting in the perilously long line.

"Can I just - ?"

"No," Lux answers sharply, before Jinx could even think about finishing the question.

Jinx pouts, puffing out her cheeks. "But - !"

"I said no."

"We don't actually have to hurt anybody! Just wave around our weapons and loudly yell death threats!"

Lux gives Jinx an incredulous look. "Definitely not."

"It'll get us to the front faster."

"It'll get us to jail faster."

"We're not gonna get caught!"

"No."

There's some low grumbling. Lux sees Jinx shifting out the corner of her eye. Faster than either could blink, Lux seizes Jinx's wrist, the gun already half drawn from its holster. They lock eyes with Lux glaring fiercely and Jinx smirking.

"Good reflexes."

"I knew you were going to try something."

"Did you now?"

"I mean it, Jinx. I can and I will break your wrist," Lux says, tightening her hold for emphasis.

Jinx snickers. "You're so pretty when you're mad."

But she lets go of the gun. Her hands fall limply to her sides and she begins to hum a cheerful tune. Lux takes a full, deep breath. Never a dull moment with the Loose Cannon. Really, Crownguard, out of everyone everywhere ever, it had to Jinx. She must actually be crazy.

They reach the counter not a moment too soon. There's a bit of fuss when Jinx seriously asks for everything they got, and Lux stops her from whipping out Zap at least three times. But, judging from the sly smile on her lips, Jinx is only having some fun - at Lux's expense, of course. She's not really planning to shoot up the store. Maybe. Probably. Good Liberty, why does she even try to take Jinx places? It never goes well.

After getting their orders, a double scoop of mint chocolate for Lux and a super sprinkle, tuity fruity for Jinx, they manage to score the perfect table. It's in a nice, secluded corner where everyone is out of Jinx's reach and Lux has a clear line of sight to the shop's only exit. Old habits die hard and all that.

"Mmm," Jinx all but squeals after her first spoonful. "Flashlight! This is amazing!"

"I take it you've never had gelato?"

"No! It's so creamy and silky! I love it!"

Lux smiles, something warm and almost glowing in her eyes as she watches Jinx demolish her treat. She shouldn't feel this much affection for someone dripping gelato everywhere. With a start, Lux realizes she's staring and looks away. She takes a very deliberate bite of her two scoops, as if that's all she's been doing - just eating her gelato, and absolutely not mooning over Jinx. No, sir.

"It's so much better than ice cream," she hears Jinx say with a sigh.

Lux snorts. "Oh, don't get me started on ice cream. You techno geeks with your innovation! I cannot believe you decided to add egg yolks and air! Air! Of all things! And it's cold! Much too cold. I - !"

"Flashlight," Jinx cuts in.

Something about her tone causes Lux to look up. Big mistake. Jinx is leaning forward, just a few inches away from her. There is a look of hunger in Jinx, something so intense and visceral. Lux suddenly finds she cannot breathe. She idly wonders if this is what it feels like, to be a rabbit, a mouse, a prey trapped neatly by a predator's ever fixed gaze. Jinx draws even closer, a pink tongue sliding over dry lips.

"Jinx," Lux whispers, forcing air out of her lungs, her throat. "Not here… We can't…"

Chomp.

Ah. Wait. What? Chomp?

Lux blinks. She looks down and finds Jinx taking a big bite out of her mint chocolate. The cup of super sprinkle, tuity fruity sits drained and empty on the table.

Jinx just wanted her gelato, apparently. She wasn't going to - And Lux thought - Oh, sweet Demacia. Lux feels her cheeks flush a bright, stop sign red. In one smooth motion, she shoves her cone up and mushes the gelato right unto Jinx's face.

Never a damn dull moment.


	53. Penumbra

PENUMBRA

_shade, shroud, fringe _

Wet lips. Hot hands. Stuttered breaths.

"Jinx," Lux gasps. "Please. We're… mmm… We're in plain sight."

Jinx laughs, a low, soft sound. Lux shivers, feeling teeth nip her neck.

"Isn't in plain sight," Jinx whispers, tongue flicking out to taste the hollow of Lux's throat, "the best place to hide?"

"Not… hnnn… not like this," Lux manages through barely stifled moans. Her fingers clutch, white-knuckled tight, at shoulders - biceps - anything within reach as Jinx slides lower.

They're at the park, sitting behind a few low lying bushes. It's three in the afternoon, on a warm, perfectly sunny day. Many Demacians are out and about, enjoying the final days of summer. Lux had intended to do the same, dragging a belligerent Jinx with her. She was thinking of talking a walk, just to soak up some sunshine. But Jinx had other ideas. Now, here they are, heavily making out with only some shrubs for cover. Garen would be so proud.

Lux bites back a hysterical giggle. She's kidding, of course. Garen would be absolutely horrified. The public indecency charges alone could get her disowned.

"For pity's sake," she gasps. "We're right next to playground!"

And they are. Lux could hear children, maybe five to ten years old, laughing and shouting from just beyond the bush line. They are in real danger of scarring, potentially for life, some poor kid.

"Please, Flashlight," Jinx snorts, lifting her chin to look at Lux.

Clever fingers slide across bare skin. Lux sucks in a sharp breath.

Jinx grins, eyes glittering in the low light. "You told me, the first trick you ever learned was to turn invisible."

Her smile grows more devious, more dangerous, more desirous. Lux tries but cannot help the shiver skittering down her spine.

"If they see us," Jinx says to her softly, just barely enough to be heard. "If they see us, it's 'cause you want them to see."

Lux feels all her blood rush up and down, simultaneously coloring the flush of her cheeks and fueling the heat below her hips. Jinx cackles, delighted and deranged, as she smoothly lifts Lux's skirt.

"You can do it," she whispers, with a mocking sort of encouragement. "I believe in you."

Then without further warning, something slick and warm kisses Lux's thighs. Then all further coherency runs fleeing from her thoughts.


	54. Myriad

MYRIAD

_great number _

Lux is good at predicting outcomes and certain events. But she never could have predicted Vayne marching up to her with Jinx in tow. Hauling Jinx by the straps of her top, Vayne basically dumps her in Lux's lap.

"I believe this is yours," she says shortly, before stalking away.

Lux sighs. And here she thought she'd have a peaceful lunch. Why me, she thinks, eyeing Jinx with unabashed disdain.

"What did you do?" She dares herself to ask.

"Nothing!"

Lux shoots Jinx an unimpressed stare.

"I just…" Jinx continues.

Lux throws up her hands. "Oh, here we go!"

"It was nothing bad! I just wanted her to cosplay with us!"

"Cos… play?"

"You know, for the Harrowing? We've got a whole Gotham theme going."

"…We?"

"Yeah! The Shadow Isle folks are letting me tag along this year! It's going to be great!"

"That… sounds dangerous…"

"Aaaaaaawww, don't worry your pretty, little head about it. I've got an exit strat in case they turn on me."

"I meant dangerous for everyone else."

"I knooooooow! I can barely wait! I'm gonna be Harlequin. Shaco is gonna be the Joker. Zyra is gonna be Poison Ivy. Fiddles is gonna be the Scarecrow. And, oh! Singed can be Bane. Swain can be Penguin. And - And Renekton can be Killer Croc! Oh man, we're gonna wreak so much mayhem!"

"Wait, whoa. Swain is in on this?"

"Not yet. I haven't asked. I haven't asked Singed or Renekton either! But come on, who would pass up such a golden opportunity for madness and murder?"

Lux bites her lip. If Jinx is succesful, if her plans go through, Lux will have to warn her higher ups. Noxus could potentially capitalize from the ensuing chaos brought on by the Harrowing. It's the perfect cover to further any of their many agendas.

"And!" Jinx shouts gleefully, interrupting Lux's thoughts. "And! Vayne was gonna be our Batman! It was gonna be so perfect! I mean, you really can't have a Gotham group cosplay without a Batman. She even battles with black magics and dark evil doers on a daily - er, nightly basis! It's perfect! Also, she's Demacian, so she's all about doling out Justice or whatever. It was gonna be so much fun! She was supposed to run around, trying to stop us on the Harrowing!"

Jinx takes a deep breath, before whipping out a Batman suit from Light only knows where. "Look! I even have a costume all ready for her and everything!"

Lux gingerly takes the costume from Jinx. "Did you… make this?"

"I have many skills…" Jinx replies, trailing off.

Lux squints, taking a closer look. "This says made in Ionia."

"…stealing is one." Jinx finishes with a bright, unapologetic grin.

Lux sighs. And then, as an afterthought, she shoves Jinx off her lap.

"How do you exist as a person?" She asks seriously.

"The world may never know," Jinx answers, equally as solemn.


	55. Tranquility

TRANQUILITY

_peacefulness _

It's a Thursday. Something always happens on Thursday. Today, this Thursday, the something turns out to be Garen. They're siblings but they're not really close. Lux hardly sees him, save for the occasional scrim or match. He hangs around the gym and she holes up in the library. He pals around with Jarvan and Jax. She has tea with Caitlyn and Lady Karma. But now, today, this Thursday, Garen decided to come see his darling sister and her special friend.

"I understand you and my sister are dating," he says, towering over Jinx.

Lux cheerfully wants to throttle him.

"Dating is such a strong word," Jinx replies, not missing a beat. "We just like to see each other! A lot! Naked!"

Lux cheerfully wants to throttle her.

Garen awkwardly clears his throat. "Yes, well! I wanted to… speak with you… about that."

Lux mutters under her breath, "Garen, no."

Jinx lights up. "Oh my god! Are you giving me the shotgun talk?!"

Garen blinks. "I only wished to discuss your relationship with my sister.

"Oh my god! You totally are!" She pauses, frowning. "Oh. But you don't have a shotgun." Then, she beams. "Wait right here!"

Jinx runs off. Garen turns to Lux.

"I - I don't understand," he tells her.

"Yeah…" Lux nods, sighing. "That's the general reaction to Jinx."

On a bench in the courtyard under the shade of an old oak tree, Graves sat polishing Destiny. Out of nowhere, with no prior warning, Jinx appears, charging towards him.

"There you are, cowboy!" She yells.

Graves looks up, managing a "Huh?", before Jinx grabs Destiny right out of his hands.

"CanIborrowyourshotgun?Kthxbaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiii!" She shouts, dashing away.

Graves blinks, dazed for all of a second. Then he leaps to his feet. "She stole ma gun!" He takes off, chasing after her. "Come back here, ya half-witted heffer!"

Jinx sprints down the hall. She skids to a stop just a foot from Garen, then shoves the shotgun into his hands. He frowns, awkwardly holding the weapon.

Lux squints. "Is that…?"

"It's a shotgun!" Jinx announces, very proud. "You can't have a shotgun talk without a shotgun! Duh."

"You are an embarassment. And I hate you."

Jinx waves her hand. "Huuuuuush!" She turns to Garen. "Go on, big guy! Lay it on me!"

Garen opens and closes his mouth repeatedly, but only a choked noise comes out.

"Ya crazy coon!" Graves yells, seeing Jinx and rushing at her. "I'mma beat you uglier than sin!"

"Oh, come on!" Jinx stomps her foot. "Can't it wait! I'm kinda busy!"

"What're you doin' with ma Destiny? Give 'er back, I swear to - !" Graves pauses, seeing Garen with his shotgun. "Crownguard? What're ya doin' with ma gun?"

Garen sighs, walks over, and gives the shotgun back to Graves. "Apologies, sir, for the trouble." He turns to Lux. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Lux smiles and shrugs. "I really don't."

"But you're happy?"

Lux laughs and nods. "There's never a dull moment."

"I suppose that is reason enough." He turns to Jinx. "Goodbye, Loose Cannon," he says, before walking away.

Jinx stares at Garen, completely gobsmacked, and watches him leave. "That's it?!"

Graves scowls, adjusting his grip on Destiny. "What the hell is goin' on 'ere?"

Jinx whirls around, glaring at Graves. "This is all your fault!"

"My fault?" Graves cries, indignant.

"If you hadn't rushed in and ruined everything!"

"Yer the one runnin' around, stealin' people's shit!"

"Garen was gonna give me the shotgun talk! It was gonna be awesome! He was gonna be all like, 'Now Jinx, you better take good care of my sister.' And I was gonna be like, 'Of course, sir.' And then he was gonna go, 'Or I'm going to take this gun and shoot you dead.' And I was gonna be like, 'Oh gee, sir. I promise to be good.'"

Lux snorts. "'Oh gee'? 'Sir'? Really, Jinx? You would never."

"I can dream!"

"Also, Garen can't shoot to save his life. He'd use his sword, you know? Like, stabbing?"

"Stop poking logic-shaped holes in my fantasies!"

"…Shotgun talk?" Graves repeats uncertainly.

"Garen wanted to talk about me and Lux," Jinx answers cheerfully.

Graves raises his brow. "What?" Then he shakes his head. "You know, I don't really give a damn." He starts to leave, but then, looks back. He points two fingers at his eyes before pointing at Jinx. "But I'm watchin' you. Try that again." He cocks his gun with a sharp click.

"Bye, cowboy," Jinx waves, completely unfazed.

Graves grunts and walks away.

Lux shakes her head. It's just another Thursday.


	56. Quiescent

QUIESCENT

_peaceful _

"I must confess," Caitlyn says, during their monthly tea dates. "I had my misgivings about you and Jinx."

"You thought I couldn't handle her," Lux smirks.

Caitlyn smiles wryly, setting her cup down. "Well, to put it simply, yes. But," she holds up a hand. "You must understand, she has a way of getting under your skin, making you act irrational, dragging you down to her level."

"And then beating you with experience?"

"I had a right to be concerned," Caitlyn sniffs, lifting her chin. "You were quite unlike yourself, angry and tense and wild. After that stunt you pulled on Cassiopeia, I feared the worst."

"You knew that was us?" Lux blurts out, before wincing and cautiously glancing around. Then, lowering her voice, she asks, "I mean, how'd you know?"

Caitlyn gifts her with such a look, Lux couldn't help but grimace.

"Right, detective and all that," she laughs sheepishly.

"I'm fairly sure Cassiopeia knows as well," Caitlyn tells her. "She's vain, not a buffoon. Those paints were of Zaunite make and the only expert on light magic is you."

"But I'm not the only one capable of light magic! It could've been anybody. Jinx could've done it all by herself."

"Yes. But it's no secret she had a special interest in you. Honestly, I'm shocked the summoners haven't taken action, but you left no conclusive evidence. It's all circumstantial. And, I suspect the only reason Cassiopeia hasn't retaliated is because you're Demacian. It would not look good for a Noxian to attack someone so esteemed without reasonable cause."

"So Kat has her on a very short leash then?"

Caitlyn allows herself a very unladylike snort. "Indeed."

"But, you know," Lux starts, clearing her throat. "If that's the only thing you can pin on us, then we're not so bad."

"Hmmm," Caitlyn hums, stirring her tea. "Yes, I suppose you're not. And, I've been meaning to tell you, love, I'm very pleasantly surprised."

"Surprised?"

"Why, yes. Here I was, fearing her influence on you, fearing she'd warp you, dig her claws into you, and hurt you somewhere permanent."

"You make her sound so cruel."

"And she is, or I would've said so at any earlier date. But not recently. As of late, she's been downright tame, almost sweet I would say. No one has heard a peep from her since she fixated on you. And I must say, I wasn't expecting that. I was worried she was influencing you when in fact, it was you influencing her. It has been… quite the beneficial turn of events. Of course, Vi refuses to be convinced."

Lux blinks. "You think… I'm good for her?"

Caitlyn smiles. "I think so. And should you continue your… relationship with her, you will find no objection from me. Not that my disapproval would have done anything."

"Ez told you about our talk."

"Forgive him, dear. I pressed. And you know how I get."

"Meddler," Lux teases with a small grin.

"And proud," Caitlyn replies, smiling back.

Lux giggles softly before falling silent. Her expression slowly dims as she toys idly with her tea. She licks her lips, breathing in, before saying softly, "You're wrong, though."

"Hmm?" Caitlyn raises a brow.

"Your disapproval, I mean," Lux continues. "It would have hurt. That's something."

Caitlyn studies Lux carefully, sipping her tea. "Would you have stopped then? If I had made my disapproval known, would you have severed your ties to Jinx?"

Lux looks Caitlyn straight in the eye. "I don't think I could've stopped this for anything. I don't think… " She swallows before smiling thinly. "No, I know I didn't want to."


	57. Sussuration

SUSSURATION

_whispering_

It follows her, the hushed voices, the cupped hands, the sly glances. It follows them both. They aren't open but neither are they hidden. Even Lee Sin, the Blind Monk, can tell. There's something about them, something different, something changed. They're still sharp words and thinly veiled barbs. But they laugh more. They smile easier. There's no missing the sheer delight Jinx bursts with every time Lux is near. There's no denying the naked fondness Lux glows with when speaking of Jinx.

People say many things about them. They say, watching Lux pass them in the hallway, she bewitched the Loose Cannon as punishment for her earlier transgressions. They say, observing Jinx fight on the Rift, she blackmailed the Lady of Luminosity to act like a lovelorn sap for shits and giggles. They say, seeing the two (the couple) eating together - scrimming together - sitting together, both are playing the long game. It's an epic con, nothing more than a cruel trick on each other.

As for the truth, it's a little of everything and nothing. It starts with the corner of Lux's eyes curving up. It ends with the tips of Jinx's fingers reaching out. The truth lies in shades of grey between them. They both know it's there. They both can't touch it. They both want it. And it's going to get them in a lot of trouble.


End file.
